Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z Fighter
by TheShadowPanther
Summary: [COMPLETE] Now that Kakkhan's on Earth, there's no going back. Follow his adventures with Menrui as he forges a new life for himself and struggles to completely separate from his old one. RR. [2nd fic in the Kakkhan Trilogy]
1. The First Day

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

Summary: He's the rebel with a cause: to protect the Earth at all costs, no matter what, or whom, is endangering it. Second fic in the Kakkhan trilogy. RR.

A/n: Welcome to the second fic in the **Kakkhan** trilogy! How dya like the title? Huh, huh? Yeah, I thought of it all by myself! Aren't ya proud of me? :D

Allati: /Chuckles and shakes head/

/Simply keeps smiling, taking no offense at Allati's reaction/

Anyway, in the last chapter of **Kakkhan: Giendonese Saiyan Warrior**, Kakkhan went back to Giendon! And, he told Balannon not to contact him or try and go after him. He resigned from the Laniin army, thereby committing treason, leaving behind a sad Nirvana to begin the next stage of his life. What's next? Find out, only on **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**!

On with the story!

* * *

**_Blah _**— Laniin, translated

* * *

In the last chapter of **Kakkhan: Giendonese Saiyan Warrior**—

_Kakkhan inclined his head to his former Headmistress Nirvana, keeping his eyes on hers. Without further ado, he turned his back and walked away, thus ending one stage of his life and embarking upon another. _

_And it felt good doing that.

* * *

_

Chapter One: The First Day

* * *

Kakkhan typed rapidly on the laptop he'd bought over the Internet. It was a Dell, which meant that it was customized to his needs and wants. Kakkhan, however, had taken the personalization two steps further and had linked it up to different planets and galaxies. Kakkhan was even thinking of putting in communication links with the other universes, if not dimensions. But for right now, planets three or four light-years away would suffice.

Kakkhan wasn't communicating with any extra-terrestrials or lost Saiyans at the moment, though. He was just setting up his own website now, and actually having a bit of success. Amazing what Laniin training can do for you.

Kakkhan hit a button, typed in more info where needed (and didn't type in where not needed), bit another button, and had the makings of his own website.

With a critical eye, Kakkhan surveyed his creation. Not particularly liking it, Kakkhan deleted it and cleared away the website's residue. All websites, once made, left a tiny trace of their origins where it could be tracked, even if it was deleted. Kakkhan got rid of that trace, merely for the fact that it was there and that he hated leaving things lying around.

Kakkhan minimized the Internet provider he was using at the moment and closed the laptop shut. He needed a break, and he was going to take one. He had, after all, been making, deleting, and erasing websites for the past two hours, and his brain was starting to complain about that. His stomach wasn't happy, either, so Kakkhan decided to satisfy them both and get off the computer.

He vaulted over the wall of his loft and floated gently to the ground, disdaining the stairs for the physical exercise. Kakkhan never used the stairs and never would, unless their was company of course. But seeing as there was been no one in the house except for Gohan that could be called company, the stairs continued to be neglected.

Kakkhan strolled to the kitchen, his hands in his khaki shorts. He wore a white T-shirt that stretched the word "Rebel" across it in black spidery letters, and had a black skull rising up behind the word. Kakkhan had taken off his armband and most of his ranking earrings to consciously finalize more his separation from Giendon. He kept the three silver earrings in his right ear, however, and the barbell stayed in his tongue. They were there because they had been with Kakkhan all of his life and he wouldn't have felt comfortable without them on. The gold and silver/gold earrings were packed away and replaced with studs to prevent the holes from closing. With his custom-order martial artist's boots Goku-style to complete the ensemble, it was a whole new Kakkhan, mix-and-match style.

Kakkhan reached the kitchen and immediately made a beeline for the refrigerator. He soon had a plate full and sat down to enjoy it, keeping in mind what to eat for seconds, thirds, and fourths. The seconds, thirds, and fourths came to pass, with Kakkhan eating fifths, before Kakkhan went back to work. This time he decided to try building his page from scratch, like he should have from the beginning.

It had been one week and a half since Kakkhan had left Giendon, and he was still recovering. Kakkhan didn't think he would ever completely get over his leaving, nor would the healing happen overnight. This sort of thing took time, time Kakkhan had. Keeping busy was Kakkhan's priority until his showtime at the Main Library in four days, and Kakkhan certainly was doing a good job.

Kakkhan spent the rest of the day creating his homepage, including a not-quite-true-bio and suggested links for hardcore sci-fi fans, motorcycle fans, and technology fans. There were also a few links to fantasy sites, totaling 17 suggested links in all. The homepage also included links to some of Kakkhan's stories, most of them translated into Japanese and English from some other language. All of those stories were stamped with Kakkhan's penname for himself, "Renegade Hunter K." It was a childish name, Kakkhan admitted to himself, but so what? He liked the sound of that name, and what he liked, he kept.

Kakkhan was just starting on creating a links section for each chapter of his current Laniin story when there was a slam of a door. Kakkhan peeked over the loft wall to watch Gohan put down shopping bags on the living room table and sink with a sigh into the comfy couch they'd bought. Gohan put his shoes down and swung his legs onto the rest of the couch, leaving plenty of room for a grown person to sit.

Kakkhan commented, "Nice day shopping?"

Gohan looked up at Kakkhan and grinned. "I'll never get used to looking up at you from here."

Kakkhan shrugged. "Sure you will. Just give it time. Now answer my question. Nice day shopping?" he repeated.

Gohan nodded. "Yeah. Got a DVD player and a couple of DVDs, a PlayStation 2 for video games we can get, and I also got some computer games and software we could use."

"Oh yeah? What kind of software?" Kakkhan asked, interested.

"I got the whole Microsoft Office deal, a PhotoShop program so I can load my art onto the Internet with that scanner we have, and also a graphic art program that movie artists supposedly use for special effects," Gohan listed.

Kakkhan smirked, ideas on how to use, improve, and exploit this software already swirling around his head. "Sounds good, Gohan. Maybe I'd better let you install those programs onto your comp first before I start messing with them."

Gohan Grinned™ again, knowing that Kakkhan loved anything technological, especially if it was computer-related.

"Yeah, that's what I figured. That's what I bought the Microsoft Office for. I'm keeping my PhotoShop, but the graphic art thing is neutral territory. So you can mess those two up, but not my PhotoShop."

Kakkhan smirked his amusement and went back to his screen. He had a pretty good site that could be read in both Japanese and English, but it wasn't quite done yet. Kakkhan didn't know what it was that his site needed, but it sure was missing something.

"Hey Gohan! Check out my laptop," Kakkhan yelled down. He was answered by Gohan getting up and flying up to the left, again neglecting the stairs. Gohan landed and looked at Kakkhan's screen. He was met with a website with a black background, white text, and plenty of pictures. Oh yeah, there were pictures. And links too. Gohan could not get over how many links there were. The pictures were of Japanese anime that Kakkhan had taken a liking to, like "The SoulTaker," "Trigun," "Cowboy Bebop," and several movies like "The Grave of the Fireflies," and "Spirited Away." Gohan just shook his head at Kakkhan's obsessions and kept looking.

The site was called "Daemon's Alley," and under the heading in a size smaller font was "Founded by Renegade Hunter K." The page Gohan was looking at was the homepage, and it looked quite professional, actually. There was even a news bulletin section, for which Kakkhan had no news yet. Unlike other homepages Gohan had seen (using Bulma's computer), Kakkhan's site was his own creation, made from scratch, not one of those homepage templates that looked as fake as fake could get. But it needed something, something like actual information on akumas. Kakkhan had plenty of that.

"Looks great. Maybe you could run this as a database with info on akumas or something. Or have an akuma fan club. Something like that," Gohan shrugged.

Kakkhan considered them, his mouth twisting into a thoughtful frown. "Those are some ideas. There's definitely going to be demonic information on this site, especially since I have an akuma Guardian, after all. Hmm, I like the idea of an akuma fan club. There'd definitely be a place for your demonic fan art," Kakkhan smirked up at Gohan, who grinned back. "It'd be interesting to find out how Earthlings view akumas," Kakkhan continued.

Gohan responded to the last statement with raised eyebrows. "Akumas are viewed by Earthlings as the very embodiment of evil. They usually stand upright and have dark powers, but yeah, they're considered to be evil."

Kakkhan looked at Gohan and raised his own eyebrows. Gohan just brought his hands up in a defensive move, a smile still on his face. Kakkhan just said, "You know that InuYasha is an akuma, right? And Yoko and Lotto, who is my Guardian?"

Gohan nodded, his hands still out defensively. Kakkhan just shook his head and went back to the making of his site. He rearranged things until he had a front page with akuma-related links, the news bulletin, and two links-equipped images for the Akuma Archive and the Fan Forum. He also moved his bio to another page inside the Fan Forum, as if he were just another Alley member. The layout of the site in both the Forum and the Library was very organized, reminiscent of a certain Laniin site template, which pleased Kakkhan to no end. He'd always liked this particular Laniin template for its professionalism and its neatness. But there were things Kakkhan added to Daemon's Alley that the Laniin template didn't normally have, and they were numerous enough that he couldn't be galactically picked up for plagiarism of that Laniin template.

(Shall I go into the site details?)

For instance, to be able to access the site, you had to get through the title page first. To do that, you had to click on the red-eyed akuma about to step over the words _Daemon's Alley_, and indicate with the pop-up whether you were already a member, and had to log in if you were, or a visitor. There was a join up feature for visitors inside, but visitors would have fewer of the privileges that members had. Kakkhan knew that was big of him to demand that, but hey, it worked for him. If it didn't work for the visitor, they could just bug off. Wouldn't bother him.

Another example was that the homepage was different, obviously, and the Fan Forum was there, too. It was also that Kakkhan had a link allowing the members of the Daemon's Alley Fan Forum to interact with one another using a message board. That link went onto all the pages too for easy access no matter if you were from the Library or in the Forum itself. It all worked out, but you had to be a member to get to the message board.

The Fan Forum had many interactive things, like "Choose Your Own Akuma", "What Kind of Akuma Are You?", and its very own adventure game, which was its main feature. Kakkhan was still thinking up ideas for this adventure game, but it was definitely a part of the Fan Forum. There were also plans for being able to raise one's own akuma, which Kakkhan was really excited about. Still, it was up to the Fan Forum members if they wanted to do this.

All this work made Kakkhan realize that he had just created his life's work. This was something that all Giendonese inhabitants did, whether they were fosterlings or Laniins, for their entire life up until they died, and Kakkhan had just made his own input into that tapestry. The concept made Kakkhan smile somewhat bitterly, as he worked.

Kakkhan spent the next four days organizing all of this, as well as adding, subtracting, and otherwise setting his site up. He had help from Gohan, as usual, who signed up with the permanent penname Kept-By-A-Mokin, and contributed the art for the site. Gohan was also put in charge of the registration process for the Fan Forum, amongst other things, while Kakkhan took over the Akuma Library and the rest of the Fan Forum responsibilities. Kakkhan went back to the homepage and under "Founded by Renegade Hunter K," he typed in, "Co-run by Kept-By-A-Mokin."

When Gohan saw that, on the third day, the brightest Grin™ Kakkhan had ever seen spread across his face. The demi-Saiyan went back to the drawing he was working on, the Grin™ still on his face. Kakkhan's last day was considerably brighter when Gohan presented to him that very same drawing.

It was a head portrait of Lotto, staring off to the side, and what made it beautiful was the accuracy and details of the portrait. There was no disgust in the way the saber-toothed fangs sprang out of the mouth, nor how the eyes were humongous in the head. It made a person rather sentimental, even with the Japanese characters proclaiming, "Head of a Cat Akuma" written off to the side, with Laniin writing under it saying, "Portrait of Lotto" for Kakkhan. The immortal immediately hung it up in his room opposite his bed, where he would wake up to it in the morning everyday.

Finally the fourth day arrived, bringing with it a flurry of activity in 351 Marguerite's Hope Street, for the fifth day was a day of beginnings for Kakkhan. It was the first of many days at the Main Library, and Kakkhan was ready.

* * *

There were stares at the Headquarters of Blue Star Main Library as Kakkhan, dressed in the appropriate dress code, walked through the classic oak doors. He didn't acknowledge the stares as he walked up to the Info Desk, but he did announce loudly, for all the world to hear, "Hi. I'm here for the info desk internship. Show me the ropes?"

Shuffling of paper and renewed clacking on keyboards immediately ensued Kakkhan's proclamation, even as the girl behind the Info Desk looked startled. "The internship? Were you the person who took that two month break?"

Kakkhan inclined his head. The girl raised her eyebrows but looked down at her computer. "OK, then. Your name's Tairyoku Kakkhan?" Kakkhan nodded again at his pseudo identity. Gohan, being his twin, had the same surname, only with a different first name, Chikurro, which was a combination of the names "Chichi" and "Kakkarot", like Kakkhan's name was. Gohan was _not_ going to be called Chikurro, however. His nickname was, instead, Menrui, which translated into "noodles" in English.

The girl looked down at the computer again, then looked up and behind her.

"Hey Alberto! Your part-time intern assistant's here," she called over to a dark-haired man of about twenty-nine years of age. He looked up at Kakkhan, who calmly studied him back, looked at the girl, then shrugged and jogged over from his cubicle.

"You're Kakkhan?" Alberto questioned as he came within reach. Kakkhan nodded his head coolly, waiting to see the reaction of his apparent sponsor. Alberto raised his eyes bemusedly, but said nothing other than,

"You seem a little young, but if you've got the brains, then I guess you can do it." Alberto shrugged again as Kakkhan's guard dropped a little, but only a little. Kakkhan nodded again and followed the man around the building. He learned quickly the outlay of the building, but the employees were a little harder to remember. He knew immediately who the head of the Library was; he was a big man who carried himself with far more importance than his position demanded. Kakkhan snorted to himself. There were more important people than a major library founder. Kakkhan just happened to be one of those people.

Kakkhan still treated the man politely, if indeed a little flippantly. It wasn't so much that the boss, Michael Hearse, could fire him for, but there was a sharp glint in his flinty eyes that told Kakkhan to tone it down. Kakkhan just ignored it, for if this Human knew and understood Kakkhan's position, he'd be groveling on his knees right now. However, it was not to be, and Kakkhan settled with it.

When the day was over, Kakkhan left shaking his head pityingly. The computer system of the library was so simple even an amoeba could learn it. Yet plenty of humans stumbled over it and messed it up, creating so much chaos and so many questions that Kakkhan felt he'd have to become a Library Employee's How-To Intern, not at the info desk/help center for the customers who came in. Certainly the view of the building as one came in was impressive, even intimidating, but Kakkhan knew it was just a façade. Too bad Hearse was too greedy to care. He just wanted money. Kakkhan knew how it was.

Kakkhan stopped at the teashop along the way to buy black tea for himself and green tea for Gohan. Kakkhan didn't know why Gohan liked the taste of green tea; to him it was bitter and stung his taste buds, especially if Kakkhan scalded his tongue. Kakkhan couldn't stand it, but Gohan loved it.

Whistling a random tune, Kakkhan strolled home, not minding all of the stares he was getting. He didn't care what everyone thought; they were strangers and mortals and didn't matter to him. Still, he wished they'd stop looking like stupid cows and close their mouths. Was it really so strange that he was easily carrying about five heavy-looking bags of Main Library manuals, software, and other things he would need to memorize in order to be effective at the Info Desk/Help Center? Apparently so.

Yet Kakkhan only wished that the bags in his right hand would stop slipping and make him have to tighten his grip again. His grip, even after four Earthling years, was still much weaker than it should be, but it was stronger than when Kakkhan had left Earth for Giendon after the triple attack by the Cold family (1). He'd been working constantly at Giendon on his grip for almost 8Gi years, but recently, with all of the events going on, the Cell Games, Time traveling, etc, Kakkhan hadn't exactly been able to work his exercises. He wondered where the capsule MKakkhan had given him was. He hoped he hadn't left it in with his room capsule. He so hoped he hadn't.

Kakkhan quickened his pace as he neared Marguerite's Hope. He was almost home after the long day, which, he knew, was going to be followed by another long day. Boring. His new pace was almost too fast for him to notice the Human girl whom had just come out of her house and was in his way. He did notice, though, and stopped on a dime just before he would have stepped on her. He looked down at her and then at the girl emerging from the house. The girl was accompanied by a young woman, who jumped and put a hand to her heart at the sudden sight of Kakkhan. Kakkhan merely commented coldly to her, ignoring her shock,

"I hope that you exercise better control over these children in the future, miss. You never know when a stranger might come by and potentially trip over and/or kidnap any children in your care, just because you weren't looking. Now, good day to you, and take my advice."

With this comment to the lady (who didn't look old enough to have kids) said, Kakkhan stepped carefully around the youngest girl and set out once again for 351 Marguerite's Hope.

He arrived with a clatter of bags and a thump of books. He flopped upon the couch for a breath, then remembered about his grip exercise capsule. He got up, looked disdainfully at the Main Library bags, sighed, and picked them up again. He towed them to the den where he'd be uninterrupted in his later perusal of them, then began the capsule hunt for his forgotten-but-not-lost gripping gear.

He first backtracked in his memory through all of the events that had just happened, starting with before the Cell Games. It took him a while to slog through the memories, but he finally hit the point where it was a blank spot in his memories concerning his capsule. He faintly remembered that it was in Aslib's training dome a while ago, but didn't really think it was there anymore. Not after the sifting he'd done. Still, it was worth a try.

As expected, the G-dome did not turn up any results. Kakkhan pondered what other possibilities there were. Perhaps the two Giendonese room capsules?

Kakkhan did not find anything in there either. His third option then was the huge multi-capsule carrier box Kakkhan had obtained from one of Gohan's salvages from past-timeline Capsule Corporations. He retrieved that from the special storage unit that they had behind the library (accessible only by secret passageway) for leftover things. Not bothering to think any nonsense stuff like a prayer for the appearance of his capsule, as Humans were so wont to do, Kakkhan flipped the lid. A thin smile flitted into existence before it rapidly disappeared as Kakkhan reached in with his left hand and took out the capsule that contained all of his exercise gear. Finally, he'd found it.

He put the capsule carrier away in exactly the same position as he'd found it and went upstairs to the attic on the second floor, where they had already set up the G-dome. As he stepped in, Kakkhan hit the controls to stop the gravity from rising to 500G as it usually did when Kakkhan's ki entered it. He also punched the "OFF" button on the Illusion Panel, for he didn't really want to see his home planet of Giendon right now. Maybe later.

A _phloom!_ sounded and a purple cloud came out of the capsule as it exploded. A wooden box fell out of the capsule, and Kakkhan went over to it. He opened it and looked resignedly at all of the things inside, waiting for him to use. He sighed. Both his hands were going to hurt after using all of these after so long.

* * *

True to Kakkhan's prediction, his hands _did_ hurt. But not enough that Kakkhan could stop from memorizing the stupid manuals for the Main Library. By the time dinner was ready, he knew every piece of the Main Library computer system like the back of his still achy hands. However, Kakkhan ignored the aches for his stomach, and for a retelling of "Menrui's" (2) first day at Blue Star University.

Which turned out to be boring. Typical.

But for only the first day at a new job and at a new university, their days weren't so bad, for the Saiyans at least. It wasn't everyday that eleven-year-olds managed to shock society, but the Paradoxes had done just that in one day, which was a victory for Human kids everywhere, not that they knew it. Still, when Kakkhan looked at his day from that perspective (with a little help from the ever-optimistic Gohan), he had no difficulty in going to sleep with the thought that tomorrow would be a better day. No difficulty at all, especially with the plans Kakkhan was enacting for his site.

It wasn't as if, after all, Kakkhan was officially at the Info Desk, so he wouldn't be called on for information by confused and harassed customers. He would have plenty of time to construct his site in the long hours of the internship. But when he was done being an intern, Michael Hearse would have to look sharp about him. Kakkhan, the Legendary Lord, was coming.

* * *

(1) For reference, see Chapters Five and Six, Attack of Frieza, King Cold, and Cooler, Parts One and Two

(2) From this chapter on, whenever Kakkhan and Gohan are around people other than themselves, Gohan will be "Menrui." But when Gohan and Kakkhan are alone, speaking telepathically, or the narrator (me) is speaking, Gohan will be called "Gohan". However, Gohan will _never, ever_ be called Chikurro, except if he's being formally introduced, and those introductions will be rare. This is because Kakkhan wants to avoid questions about his twin being "Gohan" and Goku and Chichi's son being "Gohan", as well. It's just business as usual for Kakkhan. Nice.

* * *

A/n: OK… That wasn't a particularly exciting first chapter for **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**. But, hey, gotta start somewhere, right? And yeah, Michael Hearse needs to watch his step. He won't be able to boss Kakkhan around, when Kakkhan gets free of being an intern, that is. Heh.

As for the three-girl trio Kakkhan snapped at, yes, he was rude, grumpy, and stressed out, and yes, these three will come into play later on, or at least one of them. I don't know exactly how at this point, but I've got a vague idea. Got any other ideas?

Thanks to everybody who reviewed the last chapter of **Kakkhan: Giendonese Saiyan Warrior**! I hope this sequel doesn't disappoint! ;)

* * *

SNEAK PREVIEW OF: Fate's Rebuttal

The look on Michael Hearse's face was priceless as he scanned the computer screen. It was incredulous at first, then turned into a sour look that should have made Kakkhan back down instantly. In fact, every other employee watching the standoff did shrink away, except for Kakkhan. Later, those self-same employees would wonder at the confidence of an eleven-year-old to do quite naturally what the whole department of grown-ups would not. And he made it look easy. Must have something to do with the fact that Kakkhan was a genius, and they were not. Whatever the reason was, Kakkhan was going to be in big trouble.

* * *

REVIEW RESPONSES:

1) **Supersaiyaman**, you are right on the nose. I will eventually be writing that, but not for a LONG while. I do have to get through Kakkhan's teenage years first, LOL.

2) **miroku-has-darkness**, it's Mirai Kakkhan because he's older, more graceful in negotiating conversations (aka avoiding things/questions), and also because the "younger" Kakkhan will empathize more with him. Hope that clears things up somewhat. And what was that about the science fiction being a 0 rating all ways?!

3) Thanks to everyone for their reviews! Sorry for the long wait! ;)

* * *

Thanks to **supersaiyaman**, **miroku-has-darkness**, **SS2 Megami-sama**, and **DBZ Chick1 **for Chapter 24 of the last fic! Thanks! /Bows/

Again, I'm sorry for taking so long to update this story, but I just got distracted by school, muses for _other_ fics than this one, school, exams, exams, exams, and… exams, basically. They started yesterday, and I'm four exams down, two to go. Yes! /Pumps fist into air/ I don't have any school Friday, either! YAY! /Celebratory jig/ Oh, wait, gotta study for World History! Yikes! /Rushes out of office/

/Pokes head back in/ Don't forget to review! /Goes back out/

**_Nia furm_**,

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN; **Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 01.19.05_ _(yay, my first **Kakkhan** update of the New Year! Cheers!)_


	2. Fate's Rebuttal

Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

Summary: He's the rebel with a cause: to protect the Earth at all costs, no matter what, or whom, is endangering it. Second fic in the Kakkhan trilogy.

A/n: EEP! (Authoress runs away from storm of impatient and angry readers)

Allati: Uh… (Looks after authoress and readers apprehensively) /Turns to rest of readers/ Uh… on with the story?

SP: (Runs by) sorry, Sorry, SORRY! (Runs away again)

Allati: …O.O Yeah. (Starts up chapter and backs away quickly to get out of the rush to get to the screens) Um, enjoy?

* * *

**_Blah _**— Laniin, translated

* * *

Previously, on **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter—**

…Still, when Kakkhan looked at his day from that perspective (with a little help from the ever-optimistic Gohan), he had no difficulty in going to sleep with the thought that tomorrow would be a better day. No difficulty at all, especially with the plans Kakkhan was enacting for his site. It wasn't as if Kakkhan was officially at the Info Desk, so he wouldn't be called on for information by confused and harassed customers. He would have plenty of time to construct his site in the long hours of the internship. But when he was done being an intern, Michael Hearse had better look sharp about him. Kakkhan, the Legendary Lord, was coming.

* * *

Chapter Two: Fate's Rebuttal

* * *

Kakkhan typed away at his laptop rapidly. He had been fired up with ideas for his site yesterday thanks to Gohan 's contribution with the fan club, and was putting the basics of the Forum into motion right then. Alberto and Yvonna, the first girl, were watching him type with odd looks on their faces. They wondered who this boy was that he used his laptop so efficiently and with such knowledge of its layout. It was clear that he was a genius, yes, no doubt about that, but how much of a genius was he? Could he program computers? Could he design a computer so revolutionary it would change the lives of the Blue Star City citizens overnight? Could he do that kind of thing even though he was only eleven years old with especially wild and uncontrollable hair? 

Kakkhan looked up at Alberto, who hastily averted his gaze, and glanced at Yvonna, who smiled and lowered her gaze back to her computer screen. With a smirk, the eleven-year-old looked at everyone else outside of the Info Desk, all of whom pulled their heads down from the top of their individual cubicles. Kakkhan's smirk disappeared as he tucked it away under his mask, but inside he had a smirk so wide it could be mistaken for a smile. Dominating these Humans was too easy.

Kakkhan returned to his work. He ignored this time the gradually returning stares of the employees, even as minutes later they were diverted suddenly away. He only barely acknowledged the heavy footsteps and greed-tinted ki of the boss, looking up only when Hearse had been standing over his shoulder for seven minutes to snap,

"Do you mind? You're standing in the light."

Hearse offered a wide buck-toothed smile, which revealed not only buckteeth, but also horrible yellow crooked lines of unhealthiness. "Yes, I do mind. I mind that what you are doing is not the proper work for an employee at Main Library. It appears that that is leisure work, not what you have been assigned. I demand that you delete this obscene trash and never think about it again. I want to see you do the assigned work you were given, right now and with no insubordination."

Kakkhan raised his eyebrows at the orders this insane human was giving. Just who did Hearse think he was? Oh yeah, his so-called "boss." That. However, the little task he was given? To organize the whole employee list alphabetically, numerically, and by year hired, one at a time? Done. A little insubordination was in order, then, seeing as the task was already done and Hearse had forbidden insolence before the task was done. Kakkhan had no shame.

"Sorry, but I already did my assignment. I'm just passing the time now. Want to see?" Kakkhan said nonchalantly. He minimized his site screen and brought up Microsoft Excel and clicked on Sheet One, which had the employees organized alphabetically. Sheet Two showed numerical organization, and Sheet Three, you guessed it, was by year hired.

The look on Michael Hearse's face was priceless as he scanned the computer screen. It was incredulous at first, then turned into a sour look that should have made Kakkhan back down instantly. In fact, every other employee watching the standoff did shrink away, except for Kakkhan. Later, those self-same employees would wonder at the confidence of an eleven-year-old to do quite naturally what the whole department of grown-ups would not. And he made it look easy. Must have something to do with the fact that Kakkhan was a genius, and they were not. Whatever the reason was, Kakkhan was going to be in big trouble.

However, Kakkhan didn't seem to be aware of that fact. He sat there, calmly blinking up at the sour-faced Hearse. He looked as if he didn't care that Hearse had a murderous look on his face, or if he could be fired. For all intents and purposes, Kakkhan really didn't care, but it really would not do to be fired from his job on only the second day. So he lessened the tension of the situation, if only slightly, by asking,

"Got anything else for me to do?"

* * *

Gohan was also busy on his laptop, but he was not setting any records for impudence like his self-sufficient counterpart. No, he was setting records for the least amount of time needed to finish a whole day's homework for seven courses in college. He hadn't even come home for two hours yet, and he was already finishing his second-to-last homework assignment. 

He worked for another five minutes on the assignment, then shut his laptop with a loud thud and started on the last assignment. This one was the one that Gohan had been looking forward to do all day since his fifth out of eight periods, and consisted of Gohan 's most favorite course that he had enrolled in.

Reaching for his heavily loaded backpack, Gohan withdrew a sketchbook, a notebook with "Pencil/Ink Drawing Course" scrawled over the top of it in his small but neat handwriting, and several loose-leaf papers Gohan had been too hasty to put away properly. Gohan did that very task now, stocking the papers tidily in their correct places. Once this was done, he looked at the assignment he had to do for today, sighed, flipped open his sketchbook and set about with recreating the loft that he was currently sitting in. He drew everything that he could see directly in front of him, including the view he was afforded of the street outside of his house from his loft.

The drawing, when completed, was done in exquisite detail, yet it was not photographic. It also had a thoughtful air about it, as if no stroke of the pencil had been done without a reason. There was a clearness about the drawing that was startling as well, so much that no matter how many times a person saw the picture, he or she would never fail to be amazed at how clear the drawing was. Yet it was drawn with such simplicity, such thought, and such effort that it was clearly a masterpiece work. Still, it was only of the view from a loft, as it was titled, "View from the Loft", but it was just so beautifully rendered, like "Portrait of Lotto", that it could be nothing otherwise.

The drawing teacher was simply astounded by Gohan 's work. She was so astounded that she didn't believe that it was one of her students at first, especially the eleven-year-old. Then she thought about Gohan and his general attitude, which so far was quiet but enthusiastic, and certainly thoughtful. It did appear that he would be able to see everything from a different perspective, now that she really thought about him. He had also shown an understanding of the basic concepts (and a few of the not so basic concepts) of drawing.

Although the class had not started any drawing projects yet, she would not be surprised if his drawings were above and beyond the quality of the rest of the class. Heck, this one drawing was above and beyond the quality of the other homework assignments. She sighed. She was going to have to do something for this student, Tairyoku Chikurro, or Menrui, as he preferred to be called. She didn't know what, though.

How could she make this course a challenge for such a good artist like Menrui? Hm, a quandary, and a fairly complex one at that. She definitely would need help on this.

* * *

Time passed until it was approximately a year. It was a year since Kakkhan and Gohan had Time traveled from the past timeline, a year since they moved into Blue Star City, a year since everything major in their life had happened. All of that had passed, contained within a single year: 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours. Many things had happened in that single year, and yet nothing had changed. Kakkhan was still working at the Main Library, and Gohan was still going to BSU. They still lived at 351 Marguerite's Hope, and they still wrote and drew, respectively. 

They also still maintained the site Daemon's Alley, managing both the Fan Forum and the Library, and the site was getting to be popular. 346 people were members, and the site had over a hundred visitors a day, which was saying something. The site had been slow in growing, but as more people found out about the site, it had steadily boomed, and even now there was a list of people waiting to join that they had to get to.

At the same time that nothing had changed, many changes had taken place. Kakkhan and Gohan had started sparring to keep up their training. In Gohan's case, it was putting Laniin theories to practice, for Gohan didn't really know how to use the Laniin techniques he had mentally learned from Kakkhan. He knew the theory, but not exactly the way the theory was used. So Kakkhan had decided to fix that, and thus the sparring sessions had been born.

True to Gohan's promise to Kakkhan, the Paradoxes had started a social life. Now they were well known amongst the citizens of Blue Star City as good people, if slightly eccentric. No matter, the Paradoxes didn't mind being known as slightly eccentric, for considering the life they had had up to this point, they had every right to be eccentric. Really, it was the citizens of Blue Star who were eccentric, but that was just from their point of view.

The Paradoxes had also started thinking of opening up their own business, co-owned of course, but since they were still minors, they of course would not be able to start this company until they were at least seventeen years old each. This was no problem for them at all, since they did have to get more firmly settled into their new society before they could really soundly be comfortable about starting a business in this city. They had no insecurities about starting their business now, but Blue Star City needed to get used to them beforehand, and the Paradoxes knew it.

Another change was that in order not to stand out too much, Kakkhan and Goten had decided to do something about their hair. They had found out that their spiky hair, originally thought to be genetic, was actually caused by the storage of extra energy in their hair cells. Once most of the energy was taken from the hair cells (a few energy particles were left for the hair cells to function normally, for they would be bald if they took _all_ energy from the hair cells), the hair flopped down into their faces. The hair also did not clump together to make such big spikes anymore, instead becoming many smaller spikes. These changes created quite a different image than what wild spiky hair did, thus making it a desirable action to take in the way of not standing out.

However, once they found out that they looked even more like twins, and thus people were more unable to differentiate between the two, they had modified their individual hairstyles. Kakkhan had left his hair alone, but Gohan had had to re-put energy back into his hair, arrange it so that it was more out of his face, and then retake the energy out. As a result, Gohan had most of his hair back behind his ears, with a few long, stiff spikes at the side of his face on each side, framing his eyes. Kakkhan, on the other hand, let his spikes go where they wished, which was mainly across his face. As his hair had not particularly seen that many haircuts, it was long enough that it fell across his eyes, giving him a predatory appearance, something Kakkhan didn't mind, actually.

The last change was that the year of settling in before meeting the future family was almost over. The Paradoxes, in their planning, had left themselves a year of starting new lives for themselves before returning to their old ones. That year, as said, was almost over, but the Paradoxes were showing no sign of following the plan they'd set out, especially Gohan. Gohan didn't really want to start undoing his new life, now that it was going so well. Kakkhan knew this, and kept an eye on his twin, as well as on the kis of the Z-senshi. He knew that someday, the Z-senshi would come to Blue Star City and find them, if they didn't go to the Z-senshi. That was just one of the peculiarities of the Force of Fate. She had a nasty habit of making people from the past pop up unexpectedly, and right when you didn't want them to. Yes. That was exactly what happened to people if they ignored things that affected them deeply, especially the past.

But that was not what Kakkhan was thinking as he was making his way home from the Main Library. He was going home early this afternoon as the Main Library closed early on Wednesdays, at three-thirty-five PM. It was sometimes an inconvenience for the customers, but Hearse was not a greedy little moneybug for nothing. Yes, there were complaints, but again, Hearse was just a greedy little moneybug, and paid no heed.

What Kakkhan was thinking was that he was going to have to get some more black tea; they were almost out. What Kakkhan wouldn't give for an auto-refill tea maker was unknown, but unfortunately, that had not yet been invented. Kakkhan was still dealing with the difficulty that was Michael Hearse, his new 'social' life, sparring with Gohan, and his gripping exercises, along with the growing site, so he really had no time to invent one, or even start to, so for now he had to suffer with the agony.

That was all he was thinking about as he walked home, but he was not so distracted that he didn't immediately recognize the event that was about to unfold. As it was, he kept on walking, the only change in his position being to stretch out his arms to catch two bundles of energy, each of whom were well known to him and who knew him just as well. He firmly gripped them and lifted them into the air, turning the two kids in his hands to face him.

"And what are you two doing here?" Kakkhan inquired, an eyebrow rising as he looked at his two little brothers-in-spirit, Trunks and Goten. The two demi-Saiyans blinked, stunned for a full second, before they each attempted to launch themselves at Kakkhan.

"Kakkhan!" they cried. They managed to wrench themselves free of Kakkhan's grip, which was no small feat, mind you, and jumped on Kakkhan, trying to fit their arms around their most beloved person that they had not seen for a year. To think that they would see him here of all places…! Of course, Trunks and Goten only managed to get themselves tangled up with a smirking Kakkhan, even as another familiar ki approached from the direction the two demi-Saiyans had come from.

"Trunks! Goten! Did you bump into somebody and knock them over _again? _How many times must I tell you to watch where you're going when you're racing against each other?" came the familiar screech. Bulma Briefs came striding up, her face an expression of pure exasperation, but she halted suddenly as she glimpsed a brief yet instantly recognizable flash of black hair. Not spiky hair, which was what stopped her from recognizing the person at first. But as the "victim" of the Devil Duo's latest "tangle" slowly but efficiently untangled first Goten and Trunks from each other, then himself from them, Bulma grew more and more positive about her first suspicion, that this person was Kakkhan.

Her supposition was confirmed at last when the kid set Goten and Trunks down gently and turned to face her. Black eyes behind a low-hanging fringe of black spikes met blue eyes, and with a squeal, Bulma herself leapt forward over to Kakkhan for her own bear hug. Kakkhan was surprised at the reaction of the most famed genius in all of Earth, but he graciously accepted the hug, even as he kept his face as indifferent as always.

"Kakkhan! It's so good to see you!" Bulma exclaimed after they drew apart. "I haven't seen you in…a whole year! Look how you've grown!"

It was true. Kakkhan had sprouted anotherseven centimeters over the year since Bulma, and the Z-senshi as a whole, had seen him last. But Goten and Trunks had also grown, even if it wasn't as large in amount as Kakkhan's beginning growth spurt.

"Yes, well, I've been eating my vegetables," Kakkhan replied, wry sarcasm in his voice. Bulma stood back and looked at the boy in front of her, _really_ looked at him. She wasn't sure why she did so, but she did notice that Kakkhan seemed to be hiding a bit of pain, as if from a great hurt or something like that. She also saw that not only was Kakkhan hiding pain, but he also seemed to be more comfortable with himself, more confident. Not that Kakkhan had exactly been lacking in that aspect before, but it was more pride in himself that Bulma saw, and in who he really was.

Now, Bulma didn't know exactly _what_ she saw, but she knew Kakkhan had changed. Whether the change was for better or for worse, she also didn't know. But one thing that had most definitely changed was Kakkhan's hairstyle.

"How'd you get your hair down like this, kid? Vegeta's hair won't do the same for anything, no even my Max Strength Capsule Gel™," Bulma asked, clearly scheming ways to get Vegeta's stubborn spikes to stop defying gravity and come back down to Earth. Looking at Kakkhan, she could tell it was also as attractive as she'd imagined the look to be. If only Vegeta would do it.

Unfortunately, Kakkhan saw right through it. With a chuckle, he said, "No sort of gel will work on Saiyan hair, Bulma. Besides, I don't think Vegeta would appreciate having his hair down like mine. It would just get in his face, as well as making him shorter," he said, eliciting a laugh out of the Saiyan Prince's mate with his quip. Kakkhan himself felt two tugs on his shorts, and turned to see what was the matter.

Goten piped at him, "Are you going to play with us now that you're here?"

Trunks added, "Are you going to leave again?"

Kakkhan mentally raised his eyebrows. So he had been missed more terribly than he thought he would be. Kakkhan crouched down the level of the two demi-Saiyans, either ignoring or missing completely the hopeful look on Bulma's face, identical to the ones on the faces of Goten and Trunks.

"Sorry I haven't been around, you two. I had some business to take care of. But now that it's been done, I'll be visiting and playing more often, I promise."

Goten whooped, but Trunks still was not satisfied. "But you won't be leaving again, right?" he persisted, a comic scowl crossing his face at Kakkhan's characteristic evasiveness. Kakkhan raised an eyebrow a fraction on this outside this time. He noted to himself that he really did have to visit more often, just to stop these two from missing him so much, at least.

"I'll be close by, yes," he replied vaguely. He ignored the whoops his answer received from not just Goten, but Trunks as well, to look at his watch.

"Well, I'll see you soon. I have to be going now," said the immortal. His watch said three-forty-five PM now, so he had been talking to Bulma and the Devil Duo for almost ten minutes, all of which could have been spent in getting his black tea and then getting back home to await Gohan. But now Kakkhan also had news for Gohan: it was clearly time to start their plans in motion, no matter what.

Of course, Goten and Trunks immediately protested, and even Bulma wanted to stay and chat a while longer. But the reason that the trio had come to Blue Star City in the first place was to come to an action figure convention that was supposed to start, oh, five minutes ago. Still, she lingered, as Kakkhan reassured Goten and Trunks they'd meet again.

"Don't worry, guys, I'll visit really soon. Not this week, or next," and this was said for reasons of preparation, mainly for Gohan, "but maybe the week after that. Is that okay?" he asked to the enthusiastic nods of the Devil Duo. "All right then, see you in three weeks," he finished, standing up and giving both Goten and Trunks an affectionate ruffle of the hair as he did so. He turned to Bulma and saw she was smiling, and nodded to her in acknowledgement of the date. He turned back to Goten and Trunks one last time, to say goodbye, then strode back down the sidewalk, and did not look back.

When Gohan got home that day, at five-thirty-eight that evening, he found Kakkhan waiting for him in the living room, nonchalantly sipping some black tea. Kakkhan looked up at him and said clearly in his blunt, to-the-point-manner,

"Get ready, Gohan. We're visiting Capsule Corps in three weeks."

* * *

A/n: So very sorry that I took so long in updating this fic. My computer crashed, so I was left with a feeling of horror and resignation at having to rewrite the chapters _again_. As such I decided to wait until my computer got fixed and see if I couldn't retrieve the files for **Kakkhan** so that I wouldn't have to rewrite anything. But then, I found a floppy disk that I distinctly remembered to one full of stories, and behold! **Kakkhan** 2.2 was on the disk! I'm so happy now, because then I can finally update and not have to rewrite anything! (Dances around gleefully) 

…I feel so proud of myself.

But, anyways… That's why I took so bloody damn long. Yup.

…I'm so lazy. :D Yup.

I also apologize if this chapter was short in story content. It wasn't that exciting, either, and so it's a major disappointment after so long. It kind of picks up next chapter though, although I'm at a roadblocks with _that_ chapter, as well, so expect major delays with this story. Don't worry, though, you still get your sneak preview. :P I know how you guys just love your sneak previews. (Grins evilly)

As an extra note, when Gohan's around normal people, he's going to be called Menrui, conversation-wise. But when he's with Kakkhan and they're alone, he's going to be called Gohan, also conversation-wise. Narratively, when there's no dialogue present, it's Gohan as well. You'll see what I mean next chapter, so if you're confused, that's perfectly fine... (Narrows eyes)

Extra Note2: Along the same lines as the first note, it says that Gohan's "real" name is Chikurro. This is going to be used very rarely, only when there are to be formal introductions, and these will be few. Keep an eye out for it, though, for there will be some. The reason that Gohan was given a different "real" name was so that the Z-senshi wouldn't think that the past Gohan was actually the present-timeline Gohan, who's actually Kakkhan, and all that balderdash, blah, blah, blah, blah. It's also got something to do with Giendon and the Laniins, but that doesn't really matter as much as the other reasons. :D

* * *

SNEAK PREVIEW OF: The Paradoxes' Introduction 

The Paradoxes marched up the wide tiled steps before them, Kakkhan with sure, confident steps, Gohan with less sure, more insecure steps, but no less ground-covering than his twin's strides. They stopped only a second at the sliding doors to the residential quarters before they barged in, both to catch their breaths and to wait for the infernally slow technology to open in the first place. It simply must be a delay tactic designed by Bulma so that she and the families living at Capsule could get ready for whoever was calling. Hmph.

* * *

REVIEWER RESPONSES:

**FoS**: Thanks! Did it take a long time for you to read the first part? I'm glad you liked it anyway!(Bows) Thanks for your review!

**Salazarfalcon**: Grr...you evil Slythy, I'm not talking to you until you get the next chapter of **Shinrai **up! Now! I want it now! Nownownownownownownownow... (Takes breath)

NownownownownownownownownownownownownownownownownownownownownowNOW! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!

Now.

Thanks Tobi for your excellent work! Be sure to remind Fal-chan to provide Japanese translations after every chapter! She forgot last time/Is majorly affronted/ Also, tell Autumn to get her sorry butt over here and inspire me, this instant/Stamps foot/

Utada's Final Distance? Gackt's Arritake no Ai de? WHAT!

Yes, Sasu-kun is a pervert. We know that very well. /Smiles weirdly as eye starts twitching/

Where's Yuki! How's Kyoku? Yes, the dragon boy missed you very much... Yikes. Rei... Rei's doing fine. He's perched on my shoulder right now, actually, and is screaming in my ear "TELL FALCON IT'S GREAT OVER HERE!" I told you, so now he can calm down! Yes, Rei, calm down! Sheesh. (Rubs ear) Yowch.

**Hiaburi**: Yes, I finally got the second part up! I updated, and thanks!

* * *

Thanks go to **DBZ Chick1**, **Salazarfalcon**, **Hiaburi**, and **FoS** for my four precious reviews! Arigatou! (Bows deeply) 

So the Paradoxes have an appointment with the Z-senshi in a few weeks? But, wait, I thought that only Kakkhan was invited? And what's with Menrui/Gohan's drawing teacher facing difficulties in challenging him? Is there any particular reason that was placed there? Or was it just to make the chapter longer? See what Kakkhan and the drawing teacher are up to, next **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**!

I'll try to get the next chapter up for you guys sooner, but no guarantees. I'm going away with my whole sophomore class on the second week of March to Washington D.C., and then I have spring break a week after that. I will try and get some major writing done during those times, but right now I have a research paper to do serious work on and other homework assignments to do, so be patient and bear with me here. I'm trying, but I'm only human.

Despite the fact that some people at my school seem to think otherwise…. (Scowls)

Well, _hishi za cagarea!_

**TheShadowPanther **and Allati, from** AASN**

**AASN;** Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 02.25.05_


	3. The Paradoxes' Introduction

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter **

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

Summary: He's the rebel with a cause: to protect the Earth at all costs, no matter what, or whom, is endangering it. Second fic in the Kakkhan trilogy.

A/n: Well, this is a quick update in comparison to some other updates I've had. Heh! I'm so bad. :P

Allati: At least you've updated, though!

Yes, yes, I have. SO KEWL! Heehee.

Allati: Ehh... (Nervous look on face)

LOL! (Grinz hugely) I love freaking out my muses. Hee... OK, here's what's up. I was going to update yesterday, but my mom kicked me off the Internet before I could even think about logging in to update. (I was too busy reading to remember what I was originally there for. Heh!) Yeah. I apologize for taking a bit of time with this, but it's better than taking four, five, six months (or however long I took, it doesn't matter) to update a pitifully short chapter. Not that this chapter is short. No siree. LOL!

That's all I wanted to say, so enjoy the third chapter of **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**!

:-:-:-:

**_Blah _**— Laniin, translated

:-:-:-:

Previously on **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**—

_When Gohan got home that day, at five-thirty-eight that evening, he found Kakkhan waiting for him in the living room, nonchalantly sipping some green tea. Kakkhan looked up at him and said clearly in his blunt, to-the-point-manner, _

_"Get ready, Gohan. We're visiting Capsule Corps in three weeks." _

:-:-:-:

Chapter Three: The Paradoxes' Introduction

:-:-:-:

For the last three weeks, Gohan had been feeling a lot of emotions. A few of these emotions were shock, panic, stubborn denial, resigned acceptance, and finally wonder. What were the members of the Z-senshi like in this world, this world that had not been terrorized by Androids for more than a few months? What would they think of him, he who looked so much like Kakkhan and yet was most definitely not Kakkhan? Gohan had found himself adopting some of Kakkhan's facial habits over the last year, but not many. They were enough in quantity that he could be differentiated from Kakkhan in terms of facial expressions, and yet convince others that they had indeed grown up on the same planet, Giendon. How convenient.

Gohan was also worried about how he'd react to seeing his formerly dead friends alive and well. He'd just gotten used to the fact that they were dead, and now he was going to visit people who looked exactly like his dead friends, and perhaps even acted the same. He just wasn't sure. Kakkhan was no help in terms of reassurance. He just said that, "You worry too much, Gohan. They're very different from your Z-senshi friends. Just wait and see."

But Gohan couldn't just wait and see. He needed to have some sign of how the present-timeline Z-senshi would react to him. Unfortunately, he could get none before the visit, and therefore worried himself to bits.

Kakkhan on the other hand was completely unworried. He knew that the Z-senshi would just treat Gohan like another one of its own members, just with a little extra punch added because Gohan was his "twin". Gohan and Kakkhan had already silently agreed not to talk about their past, but Kakkhan knew that keeping one's mouth shut about one's past when confronted with the live versions of one's dead friends was going to be difficult. That was why Kakkhan was going to support Gohan, as all agreeable twins would do. And with Kakkhan's support, Gohan couldn't lose.

It was in these states of mind that the Paradoxes strode up to the personal visitor's gate, and still thought these ways as Kakkhan reached for the doorbell. He rang it only once before the intercom under the bell squawked at them, making Gohan jump with its rather energetic greeting.

_"Who's there? Is that you, Kakkhan?" _it asked. It was obviously Bulma speaking through the intercom, although her voice was a bit garbled over the radio frequencies. Darn electromagnetic radiation waves. Can't ever be happy with them, but can't live without them.

For Kakkhan's answer, he said, "Yes, it is, and I've brought someone with me that I'd like you to meet. I'm not telling you who it is; you will find out, if you haven't already with your infamous surveillance cameras."

_"For your information, young man, I _do not _put surveillance cameras on the personal visitor's gate, where you are standing. I _do _respect the privacy of my guests, you know."_

Was it Gohan's imagination, or did the intercom voice sound extremely wry?

Kakkhan merely chuckled. "You know that with me, you will always have to respect my privacy, Bulma. Now if you'll just let us in? I'm sure you're being hassled by Trunks and Goten right now."

At the mention of Trunks and Goten, Gohan's throat constricted so much that he had trouble breathing. Casting a sidelong glance at his twin, Gohan managed to convey without words, verbal or mental, that he wasn't quite ready to do this.

Kakkhan nodded, and signaled to him, again without words, verbal or mental, that he was going to take care of the situation until Gohan was prepared to step up again. The "younger" twin was quite happy to know this, and accordingly stayed a step behind Kakkhan as the gate swung silently open before them.

The Paradoxes marched up the wide tiled steps before them, Kakkhan with sure, confident steps, Gohan with less sure, more insecure steps, but no less ground-covering than his twin's strides. They stopped only a second at the sliding doors to the residential quarters before they barged in, both to catch their breaths and to wait for the infernally slow technology to open in the first place. It simply must be a delay tactic designed by Bulma so that she and the families living at Capsule could get ready for whoever was calling. Hmph.

Finally the doors opened, just in time for Kakkhan to step straight into a hurricane of two chibi demi-Saiyans, otherwise called Goten and Trunks. Gohan stayed behind a little bit, but it wasn't long before he was noticed. By Trunks, no less.

"Huh? Who's that?" were precisely the words that Trunks used. Goten, alerted to the other presence in the building, also looked over Kakkhan's shoulder. His mouth dropped open at the sight of the other person, who looked almost exactly like Kakkhan, except for the nervous expression on his face. And the hair. Couldn't forget the hair. But other than that, it was as if this person and Kakkhan were one and the same.

Of course, Goten didn't know that Kakkhan and Gohan _were_ one and the same person, just from different timelines. Goten didn't even know who Gohan was. Yet there he stood, fidgeting slightly, but only slightly.

Kakkhan looked over his shoulder and inwardly smirked at his twin. Gohan just looked so nervous that the immortal just had to take pity on him. Kakkhan set down the two "horrible" tornadoes of energy in his arms and walked back over to his twin.

"Goten, Trunks, this is my brother Menrui. Ru, these are Son Goten and Briefs Trunks. Goten is the son of Kakkarot and Chichi, and Trunks is Bulma and Vegeta's son. They are also rather… _affectionate _towards me, as you just saw," he said, making the introductions quickly. He wanted Gohan to loosen up, even if it was only a little, and part of the way he could do that was to make the two chibis before him more familiar.

Sure enough, Gohan smiled, if a little forcefully, but he wasn't being greeted with curious stares and open mouths, like he had been five seconds before. Instead the two Grinned™ hugely at him, making Gohan smile a lot more naturally, and bounded up to him. They first bowed in unison to him, and after Gohan bowed back, they each grabbed a hand of his and started chattering away at him a mile per minute.

"Hi! So you're Kakkhan's brother, huh, huh? I didn't know he had a brother!" Goten chirped in all of his five-year-old glory.

Trunks added, "How come you look so much like him? It's like you're the same person! How'd you guys do that?"

"Why didn't Kakkhan tell us about you?" Goten chimed, seemingly oblivious that Trunks had even spoken.

"Because," Kakkhan said, stepping in (much to Gohan's relief), "I didn't know I had a brother until about a year ago."

Both Goten and Trunks' eyes grew wide. "A year ago!" they asked in incredulous voices.

"Yup. It was quite the shock, finding out that I had a long-lost brother," Kakkhan answered. He and Gohan shared inconspicuous smirks at the not-quite-true statement. True, it was a shock, but only from finding out that you had a living, breathing clone of yourself whom actually was a very different version of you from another timeline.

Then all four of them looked up as a voice floated down the hall. Trunks let go over Gohan and latched onto Kakkhan instead, and both he and Goten started tugging the Paradoxes down the hall towards the voice. Gohan started sweating and was practically having an anxiety attack when he was finally pushed through the door of the room that the voice had come from. It didn't help that the owner of the voice looked almost exactly like the one he had once known, in another timeline a long year ago.

Bulma turned around and spotted Goten, whom was dragging in a rather disgruntled Kakkhan. Her face lifted up and she started across the room toward him, but something stopped her before she got very far. Another Kakkhan was being brought in, this time by Trunks. Bulma stood stock-still, looking between the two Kakkhans standing before her, each with a demi-Saiyan holding on to them.

For a full minute that seemed like hours, the quintet stood as still as gargoyles. Then the Kakkhan being retained by Trunks smirked, and it was all over.

"Heh. Bulma, the look on your face is absolutely priceless. I wish I'd thought to bring a camera. Did you bring a camera, Ru?" he said, addressing the last remark to the Kakkhan being guarded by Goten. "Ru" nodded and silently dug out a camera out of his jacket pocket, having to free himself from Goten's death-grip first.

The second Kakkhan took the camera and quickly snapped three shots of the still stunned Bulma, whom was simply standing there, slack-jawed and speechless. After the third shot, however, she recovered, only to have Kakkhan shooting pictures of her as she came to.

"All right, all right, that's enough," the Capsule Corporations genius snapped at the Kakkhan with a camera. The warrior lowered the camera, smirking slightly at Bulma, and said to his clone, "What price do you think these pictures will get on the Internet? 500 zenni?"

Goten's Kakkhan, or "Ru" as Trunks' Kakkhan had called him, also smirked, but the smirk disappeared as quickly as it came, just like Kakkhan's. "Oh, no," this one quietly said. "I think more than that. if we do the selling right, we'll get ten thousand zenni."

Now Bulma was even more confused. Which one was the real Kakkhan? She looked back and forth between the two once more.

"Hmm. That's a nice one. But how about we ransom them, so that we can get Bulma herself to pay?" the camera Kakkhan responded. Then both Kakkhans looked at Bulma again, and the smirks flashed into existence once again, before they were gone.

Camera Kakkhan spoke up again. "All right, Bulma, the jig's up. I'm the real Kakkhan, and this," he gestured to Goten's Kakkhan, "is my twin brother Menrui."

:-:-:-:

Minutes later, Kakkhan and Gohan were seated in the living room with Chichi, Bulma, Trunks, Goten, Goku, and Mrs. Briefs. Vegeta had refused to interrupt his training just for a measly visit from Kakkhan and his 'surprise' and had not come down. This was a relief to Gohan, for the less not-so-familiar people he had to deal with at once, the better his concentration, and therefore the less he'd mess up. Still, Kakkhan was nearby, and he was glad for his twin's comforting presence.

At the moment, Gohan was staring at his dad, noting the similarities and the differences he saw between this physical Goku and the memories of his own Dad in the past timeline. He saw that this Goku was much more carefree, sporting a lot less lines around his face, smiling his characteristic goofy smile, and generally acting like his father had acted before the Androids had come. Gohan was both happy about this and yet disturbed by it, if that was even possible.

His dad had been ridiculously happy before the Androids had come and before he had contracted the heart disease, much like this Goku was like now. But after the heart disease had come, Gohan's father had grown much more serious and reality-based, occasionally weakly cracking the goofy smile for his son and his mate, but then a spasm of pain would come, and the smile would quickly disappear. This Goku was still as goofy as ever, obviously still not quite realizing the reality of the world and the consequences of his actions, and the effects of those same actions upon other people.

Gohan wasn't sure whether or not he liked that, truth be told.

His head snapped up as he heard his fake name being called. He politely answered a question that Chichi asked of him and generally involved himself in the conversation at hand, even if Kakkhan did not. But that was normal, actually, and the Z-senshi actually accepted Kakkhan's silence. Gohan supposed that they were used to it as much as he was, either that or they were too interested in him to give Kakkhan that much notice. Gohan preferred to think it was the former notion, although he didn't actually mind the attention.

However, when things got too personal, such as why Gohan had not known Kakkhan was his brother up until a year ago, Kakkhan himself intervened and changed the subject to something else. It was different than when they had told Trunks and Goten, for those two had just been so innocent that it didn't matter as much as it did telling the adults. Gohan was glad all over again for having Kakkhan with him; without him, Gohan would have been lost a long time ago in the shuffle for new life. He most certainly wouldn't be here facing the live and so very different versions of his dead family, answering questions about who he was as if he didn't know them.

Really, when you stretched the situation out far enough, Gohan _didn't_ know them. He didn't know exactly what they thought anymore, he didn't know what the heck possessed Bulma to wear her hear in that style, he didn't know exactly how old Goten and Trunks were. He didn't even know _them_, either. It was a whole new world for him, as well as a new life. Gohan reached out desperately for anything that was intimately familiar to him, and found Kakkhan.

It all came back to Kakkhan. His twin brother was the catalyst of all this; if he hadn't showed up in the other timeline, Gohan didn't know what would happen. Perhaps he was destined never to know. But, oddly enough, he felt no resentment toward the immortal for changing his life in such a way. No, he was in actuality grateful, as he always was when he thought about Kakkhan. He would try to never take his twin for granted, although he was sure that he would, sometimes. Hopefully Kakkhan would not mind.

Hours passed, and the Paradoxes entertained the Z-senshi marvelously while they drank tea, had cookies, a bit of dinner, and generally had a ball. Nevertheless, both of them shared unreserved relief when they finally got out. Now they could get away from the prying eyes and mouths of the Z-senshi and live their life out in less relative peace than before, considering that they had both promised to baby-sit Goten and Trunks once in a while. It wasn't going to be that bad, having Kakkhan's younger brother and his friend over every once in a while—it would certainly bring some noise into the house. It would even be fun. Gohan laughed to himself at the reaction he imagined he would get from Kakkhan if he told his twin that.

As the two flew over West City to get back to Blue Star at seventy kilometers per hour, Kakkhan engaged Gohan in a conversation of their own.

'Well, that wasn't too bad,' Kakkhan commented mentally to his twin. He gave him a sideways look as if expecting Gohan to disagree, but Gohan was thoughtful.

'It was an experience, that's for sure,' Gohan told his twin slowly. Kakkhan swooped closer to Gohan and did a barrel roll beneath him, startling Gohan into stopping. Kakkhan smirked mischievously at him, though, making Gohan roll his eyes back. Kakkhan shrugged airily and set off again, tossing a line back to Gohan through their link.

'I told you that you didn't have to worry about the Z-senshi. They accepted you just fine, didn't they?'

Gohan shouted, "Ya don't have to be so smug about it, Ka-kun!" after Kakkhan's disappearing figure. His only response was laughter in his head, followed by a sense of delight, no doubt causing by the rush of wind around him. Gohan shook his head and sped up to catch up to Kakkhan. This resulted in a race between the two of them, one which Gohan narrowly won by only three millimeters.

As Gohan set foot through the door, he was hit with the sense of coming home so strongly that he halted within three paces into the house. He looked around, trying to discern what had changed in the house that he would feel this way, but couldn't find anything. As Kakkhan stepped in after him, concern entering his aura, Gohan drew in a deep breath, thinking it was something in the air. He released his breath as Kakkhan placed an arm around his shoulders and asked,

"Are you all right, Gohan?"

Gohan nodded, still trying to find out what had gone on in his absence. "Yeah. I just have the sudden feeling of coming home after a long day right now."

Kakkhan, his face still, looked around at the light-filled house waiting for him. He remarked quietly, "I've always felt like that, since we first walked into the house, actually."

"Really?" Gohan asked, looking at Kakkhan in surprise. Kakkhan wasn't usually prone to feeling things like that, or if he did have those feelings, didn't usually air them as he had just done now.

"Yeah. I just felt that I didn't belong at the _Tiara_ when I went back there after fighting Frieza. It wasn't there all at once, but I had the feeling that I was missing something. I realize now that I just missed the sense of camaraderie that the Z-senshi had, and how it was extended to me even though they had no idea who or what I was. The Laniins didn't have that sort of thing when I was there, although they certainly were affectionate, just not as warmly affectionate as the humans on Earth, on this planet.

"Having my own place here on Earth, where I was born, gives me that sense of comradeship, even if it's just a house that I share with my brother." Kakkhan smirked at Gohan, who blinked at the abrupt change of tone. The immortal went on in a more gentle tone of voice, "However, because my brother lives in it with me, this house becomes more than a house. It becomes the very foundation of my life, the greatest place to return to, the only place to return to. It becomes my home."

Gohan, stunned, tried to work out what his twin was saying in this unusual roundabout way. He finally came up with, "You're telling me that because I live with you, you feel at home?" It was the only thing that Gohan could come up with, but once he said it, he decided it summed up his confusion nicely.

"Basically," was Kakkhan's reply. The Saiyan left Gohan and motioned toward the kitchen, saying, "Come on, let's get some dinner. I'm starving." He started towards the kitchen, but he was stopped by Gohan's exclamation.

"Kakkhan!"

"Yeah?" The person in question turned back with the slightly questioning look on his face hidden behind the many small spikes of hair in his face.

Gohan stood, a distressed look coming over his face. "We're having an emotional moment here!" he cried, flinging his arms up in the air.

"We sure are," Kakkhan observed. "Frankly, being emotional is tiring, not to mention it makes me hungry. Now come on, dinner's waiting!" he commanded, not giving Gohan any time to resist this time. He did so by dragging Gohan bodily into the kitchen and then cramming some food into Gohan's mouth, forcing him to chew to be able to talk. But then how good the food was distracted Gohan and dinner was born.

Later, though, as Gohan thought back on Kakkhan's words, he found that he was forced to agree with them. Like Kakkhan, Gohan had unconsciously felt like he didn't belong to the world that he had been brought into, but something had changed to make him fell like he was coming home. What was it? It must have been something that happened that day. The only thing that he could think of was the visit to Capsule, and that hadn't done anything to him to warrant such an emotional overload such as he had felt today. Unless….

Could it possibly have been that Gohan had been accepted so casually by the Z-senshi that he now felt at home? Gohan felt sure it was. Kakkhan's support apparently had not been enough to make him feel at home in this different world, but the acceptance of very different people with very familiar faces was. It was strange, but if it gave him this feeling, he didn't mind. It made his house feel warmer, and not so barren of life. A huge smile crossed Gohan's face and he attacked his homework with newfound vigor, having put it off until now because he was worrying about the Capsule visit.

Kakkhan checked on his twin a few minutes later and was happy to see that Gohan had a new sparkle in his eye, and knew that the visit to Capsule was responsible for that. He had a feeling that Gohan would say that Kakkhan had contributed to his emotional "enlightenment", and Kakkhan supposed that he had, in a way. If it hadn't been for him, Bulma would never have invited them to Capsule. So, yes, it was in a way because him that Gohan had a new vigor, but it was mostly Gohan. It was all Gohan. Kakkhan had nothing to do with this.

It was nice to know that Gohan no longer felt left out. Kakkhan definitely knew how his brother had felt. It was true, what he had said to Gohan, about feeling out of place at the _Tiara_ after Frieza. But what he had not said was that Balannon had been his friend, and even though Kakkhan hadn't felt like he'd belonged, the Gorthan had still been there for him, even if he didn't exactly understand what Kakkhan was feeling. And what had Kakkhan done as repayment? Left him feeling hurt, confused, and betrayed. The immortal shook his head. Fate truly was cruel towards him.

The immortal then had a sudden thought. When was Fate ever _not_ cruel to him?

:-:-:-:

A/n: OK, where the HFIL did that emotional outburst come from! I have no idea! I didn't even know that Kakkhan could even do such a thing! That scares me. /Looks furtively around/ I really hope that this won't happen to me again. /Twitches/

Whew! It's only the second day of my spring break, and already ideas for all of my stories cometh! Yi! I almost can't type fast enough! So, I may not have that many updates during my two weeks off, but I think that I will have a lot written! This is good for Kakkhan, because I'm actually totally out of pre-written chapters right now. I'm going to get to work as soon as I can on the next chapter, even though I have no idea what's going to be in it, and give you a sneak preview, just because you're all so nice. :D

Speaking of the sneak preview, onward!

:-:-:-:

SNEAK PREVIEW OF: In the Eye of the Beholder

And who knew? Maybe she could grow to like Menrui, as uneasy as he made her feel. Maybe the kid would drop his guard around her, come out of his shell a bit as time went on. Maybe she would get to see the real Menrui, not the guarded shell she'd been presented with that day.

:-:-:-:

REVIEW RESPONSES:

From **Kakkhan: Giendonese Saiyan Warrior—**

1) **Kate**—That's a very good question. I'm glad you asked it, even though I'm not about to answer it right now. This is an issue that comes back to bite Kakkhan in the butt with a vengeance later on in the story (at the very end, actually—I can't wait!), so you'll understand if I leave you hanging right now. Heh! (Sticks tongue out playfully at reader) Thanks for your review! Onto the next one!

From **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**—

2) **Kate**— Hi again! LOL! Well, you've seen Bulma's reaction so far, and you were actually the one that gave me a the idea of portraying the reactions of the Z-senshi for this chapter. Thanks! I was stumped as to what to write for this chapter, actually, so your review helped me out a lot. Maybe you should be my muse, along with Allati (hint, hint). Heh! Thanks for your reviews of both this fic and **Giendonese Saiyan Warrior**; I was glad for the enthusiastic feedback! Arigatou! (Bows)

3) **FoS**—I think that this review was closed in the middle too. Heh! (Sweatdrops) If you stopped using those faces with those arrows in them, the review would stop acting so strange. That's what I started doing, and now I don't have _any_ reviews showing up weird. Stupid FF(dot)net. So fussy, and with the damn QuickEdit acting up, too. Although, it has settled down over these past few days. /Narrows eyes/ I still don't trust it though. /Growls/ Damn QuickEdit. The days before this stupid program got installed were much better, even though it took a bit more work. /Grumbles/

Oh, my, gosh. Half a week, 3-4 hours/Gobsmacked/ Ouch. How are your eyes? Are they all right? And...Gihi/Bursts out laughing/ Oh, how cute! Don't worry, I'm not about to steal it. /Continues laughing/ Oh, so funny. It's quite original, I can tell you that. :P

You've read every Gohan fic there is, just about, and you think this is one of the best? WHAT! Oh, my. Have you read **Skadu**'s Kokuhaku yet? I consider that better than mine by far. It is confusing, yes, but it gets...better. If you can call it that. Heh!

:-:-:-:

Thanks to **Kate** (**KK:GSW**), **Kate** (**KK:ISZF**), and **FoS** for my precious, precious reviews. They are precious indeed. -/Bows-/

Onto the next chapter!

_Hishi za cagarea!_

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN; **Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 03.24.05_


	4. In the Eye of the Beholder

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

Summary: He's the rebel with a cause: to protect the Earth at all costs, no matter what, or whom, is endangering it. Second fic in the Kakkhan trilogy.

A/n: I'm back! From New York, that is. LOL! I had a fantastic time there, so fantastic a time that I didn't get much done in the way of writing. Sorry! However, I did get some **Kakkhan** done, so this fic is the first to be updated after my vacation! Cool! Although five days away from the Internet did have its impact on me. Ay… /Droops from Internet withdrawal/ I was heartened to see that I had one more reviewer than when I had left, and that's huge with this fic. Thanks **DBZ Chick1**! You're one of the best! (Hugs reader)

This is a very long chapter, too, and a lot of things happen in here. First up, the reactions of the Capsule Corporations Z-senshi (Chichi, Bulma, Goku, etc), then action at the Paradox corner, and also some Giendonese history while we're at it! How awesome is that? You'll find out just why Giendon is such an inhospitable planet, right here in this chapter of **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**! Go for it, and enjoy!

On with the story!

:-:-:-:

Previously on **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**—

_It was nice to know that Gohan no longer felt left out. Kakkhan definitely knew how his brother had felt. It was true, what he had said to Gohan, about feeling out of place at the _Tiara_ after Frieza. But what he had not said was that Balannon had been his friend, and even though Kakkhan hadn't felt like he'd belonged, the Gorthan had still been there for him, even if he didn't exactly understand what Kakkhan was feeling. And what had Kakkhan done as repayment? Left him feeling hurt, confused, and betrayed. The immortal shook his head. Fate truly was cruel towards him. _

_The immortal then had a sudden thought. When was Fate ever _not_ cruel to him?_

:-:-:-:

Chapter Four: In the Eye of the Beholder

:-:-:-:

Bulma mused silently on the issue of the Kakkhan twins, as she'd taken to thinking of them, as she prepared for bed that night. She was really supposed to be calling them the Tairyoku twins, since that was what Kakkhan had announced their last name to be, but she had a sneaking suspicion that there was something beyond that name. She had thought that Menrui, Kakkhan's brother, had been fishy, and certainly his nervous actions early on had helped her suspicions. But then Menrui had loosened up, and had stared at first Goku, then other people, with thoughtful eyes, as if he had known them once before and was seeing them again in a different light.

That was impossible, of course, Bulma told herself. She caught the eyes of her reflection in the mirror opposite her, though, and sighed, seeing the doubt in those bright aquamarine orbs. She put down her comb and let her head fall into her hands, thinking of the new puzzle that Kakkhan had brought into her life.

That kid certainly loved surprising people. She snorted at the thought. Kakkhan _himself_ was a surprise. He had shown up all those years ago, stayed with them for five or six days, disappeared, come up again, and disappeared a second time, only to show up a third time, with a mysterious twin brother in tow.

It certainly was as if Kakkhan and Menrui were twins. They just had that special connection that twins had that enabled them to speak without words; was it a psychic link like the one she and Vegeta had that helped? Or did the Kakkhan twins speak without that, too? Did they know each other so well that they knew what the other person would or would not do, like she and Vegeta did? She shook her head. _Back to business, **onna**_, she scolded herself, using her mate's favorite way of referring to her to help.

The Menrui kid _looked_ like Kakkhan, sure, but he didn't _act_ like Kakkhan, or even talk like him. They even sat differently, walked differently, handled things differently, _carried_ themselves differently, oh, they did so many things differently Bulma found it hard to believe that they were twins. But then came the clincher.

_"We're long-lost brothers. I found him a year ago and brought him here to live with me. Ru wasn't exactly living in a place of eternal happiness and sunshine, so..." _Kakkhan had said these words, dryly, but then Menrui had picked up where Kakkhan had left off, saying,

_"I was happy to leave that place. Still am, in fact." _He'd said it quietly, Menrui, as if he was afraid his vocals would rupture if he spoke any louder. Kakkhan had looked over at him and had nudged him, his own way of comforting Menrui. A smile had crossed Menrui's face at that, and Bulma had been struck with how big he smiled in contrast to Kakkhan, who barely smirked to show his amusement. As she thought back on it, Bulma also frowned at how tired Menrui had seemed. Had his former living quarters really been that bad? She hoped not.

Still, knowing Kakkhan, Bulma was not likely to get anything out of them until they chose to disclose it to her. She hated being kept in the dark, Bulma did, but there was nothing she could do about it without antagonizing one of her best and most trusted friends.

And who knew? Maybe she could grow to like Menrui, as uneasy as he made her feel. Maybe the kid would drop his guard around her, come out of his shell a bit as time went on. Maybe she would get to see the real Menrui, not the guarded shell she'd been presented with that day.

Standing, she sighed a final time. She wasn't going to do anyone anything useful if she kept worrying herself to bits over Menrui. She glided out of the room, hitting the switch for the lights as she went, and padded over to her bed, where her mate and husband lay, seemingly exhausted from the day's training he had put in. She slipped under the covers and nestled up next to Vegeta, who unconsciously shifted and slid his arm around her. In this embrace, with her head on his shoulder, Bulma drifted off to an untroubled sleep.

:-:-:-:

Goku was another matter. He was wide-awake, pondering what had happened. Kakkhan and… Menrui, was it? Yes, Menrui. He and Kakkhan had come to visit them at Capsule for a little chat. Goten and Trunks had been all over them, even Menrui, who had looked a little nervous as Goten had claimed his lap as his own. Trunks had captured Kakkhan's, garnering only a smirk from the "seat" as the demi-Saiyan Prince settled smugly into it. Goten hadn't seemed disappointed not to have Kakkhan, though, as he clearly had been much more fascinated with Menrui to bemoan his loss.

Menrui. Now _he _was fascinating. Goku didn't begrudge his son at all for being more interested in him than Kakkhan. But it was not just because Menrui was a stranger, or that he was related to Kakkhan so intimately, or even because was also a Saiyan, although that was pretty exciting. But it was also because Menrui looked like Gohan so much that Goku's heart wrenched again just thinking about it. It was right down to the ducking of the head and the initial shyness that reminded Goku so much of his two-year-old son that he had struggled to hold back tears.

Now, as he remembered Gohan, the hot liquid rose to his eyes again, and Goku let them fall this time, crying for only the second time in his life for the son he'd known only briefly, and would never get to know ever again.

:-:-:-:

Chichi was dreaming. This was not an unusual occurrence, but the contents of her dream were. She hadn't dreamt of her two-year-old son in a long while, especially with Goten to worry about, but that night she did. She dreamt of a four-year old Gohan shrieking in delight as he flew with his father upon the Flying Nimbus.

She smiled tearfully at the image of her son, a few years older looking, cracking open a book with a pencil in his hand and a thoughtful expression on his face. She had to grin at the look of relief and joy on her eight-year-old son's face as his father rescued him from studying.

However, she frowned a bit as her mind forcefully shoed her visions of a ten-year-old Gohan fighting the Androids, a steely look of determination affixed onto her features. She tensed in anxiety as her son, eleven, crouched before a multitude of graves, and Chichi could barely make out on one of the stones her own name. A cry of shock emitted from our beloved Chichi and she tried to wake up, but her dreams had one more thing to show her. The last mental picture was of a peaceful, if fidgety, Gohan, with a teacup in his hand and a nervous tilt to his downcast head. The head lifted and she clearly saw his face from beneath his tamed hair, and gasped.

A minute later, she woke, her chest heaving, and she looked around frantically for her son Gohan. Instead she found Goku, who had his face in his hands and whose body was wracked with sobs, undoubtedly for their dead son, Gohan.

Except that he wasn't dead. Chichi knew that from her dreams that her son was not dead. No, he was posing as Menrui, and it hurt her that he didn't want to confide in her outright that he was back. Chichi shook off her feelings of unease, and the cool voice that whispered to her, _But what about the gravestone with your name on it,_ and threw back the covers. She stepped over to Goku, one, two, three, four, five, six steps, and wrapped her arms around him. She laid her head on top of Goku's as he leaned into her embrace, and the two remained there into the dark of the night, comforting each other.

:-:-:-:

Mr. and Mrs. Briefs, if asked about the curious visit by Kakkhan and Menrui, would simply say that it had been nice for them to visit, and they certainly wouldn't mind having them over again. Kakkhan and Menrui in general were very polite young men, they would add, and wished the world had more of those two. Other than that, the elder Briefs didn't think about the Tairyoku twins. They had no reason to; they didn't find Life to be as complicated and as full of emotional roller coasters as their daughter and her friends did. They didn't read too much into the visit as Bulma, Chichi, and Goku did, but instead treated it as simply what it appeared to be: a visit. As such, they did not stay up past midnight trying to figure the twins out, and did not have troubled dreams. They had a nice, perfectly ordinary day, and that was it for them.

If only everybody else were so lucky.

:-:-:-:

Trunks and Goten were happy, happier than usual. They had been cheerful as usual, yes, but they really did have an extra bounce in their step for the rest of the week. They even dared to pull a prank on Vegeta, something that they hadn't done since before the notorious Cell Games. The prank, failed, however, but this did not deflate the high spirits of the Hurricanes, as they were getting to be called. Such was the euphoria that Kakkhan's visit caused, and Bulma and Chichi were both dismayed and heartened by this. Dismayed because their behavior created more headaches for them to have to deal with, and heartened because they _had_ thought that their two children were lagging, a bit, in spirits.

Because of Kakkhan's visit, and the appearance of Menrui, Trunks and Goten now had two heroes to look up to. They had always looked up to Kakkhan, but when he had disappeared for a year, they had missed him terribly. But now he had returned, and brought his brother with him. What could make them happier than having _two_ Kakkhans? They had already noticed that Menrui acted differently than Kakkhan, as much as five-year-olds could see things like that, but he _had_ promised to tell them stories and play with them, too, so they were perfectly content.

Really, the only way this could get better, now that Kakkhan was back and was going to stay back, was if Kakkhan and Menrui moved in. The Hurricane children did not know if their favorite people (yes, Ru had become their favorite person next to Kakkhan) would do that, but it wouldn't hurt to try to get them to.

Wouldn't that just be the coolest!

:-:-:-:

Visits to the Capsule building every three weeks became routine, and Gohan eventually relaxed around the "new and improved" Z-senshi. The Paradoxes still adamantly refused to tell more than they already had about either of their pasts, although the demands by the Z-senshi to know were few by the second visit. They had already tried this kind of thing with Kakkhan, and they had not gotten far in the least. They had only gotten the young warrior's name by tricking him, after all.

Bulma did indeed grow to like Menrui, and would actually engage him in conversation more than the stiff-lipped Kakkhan. This suited the immortal very well, as he felt that his brother needed to talk more. The fact that Gohan talked plenty to people when they were out of the house, doing things like shopping (for food mostly), going to the movies, or just generally hanging out with the huge crowd of people their or near their age, was beside the point. Yes, Blue Star City was an enormous teenager's (or pre-teen, as the case may be) town, even if it did have a smattering of older people living within its walls as well. Hai, Gohan talked plenty to strangers, as did Kakkhan, actually, but it wasn't the same as talking to your once well-known family members or even to your own brother. So, Kakkhan didn't mind, and the Hurricanes were delighted to have his attention.

Goku and Chichi were present at some of these visits, but surprisingly enough, they didn't see their son in Menrui as they got to know him. Menrui was prone to sudden panic episodes if he didn't know where his brother was, like Gohan with his parents, but aside from that and _looking_ like Gohan, there were no other similarities.

Where little Gohan would have been whiny, Menrui was understanding. In this situation, Gohan would have cried, but Menrui merely strove to fix whatever it was that he thought was not right. Menrui also seemed to be tired all of the time, although with every visit this exhaustion seemed less. Gohan, on the other hand, had been a bundle of energy all day every day.

Of course, it wasn't fair to compare a twelve-year-old boy with a barely remembered two-year-old toddler, but hope is irrational in that aspect. And the Sons had certainly hoped and wished to know if Menrui was Gohan, but they found those hopes dissolving with every visit Kakkhan and Menrui made, and they were forced to taste grief from Gohan's loss all over again.

However, this grief was tempered by the news that a new life was soon to be brought into the world. Chichi was pregnant again. All of the Z-senshi was happy for the pair, but no one was more delighted than Goten, even though he was told that his parents would have to split their time between him as his new sibling. It was actually amusing to see how proud Goten was to have a new sibling and not to be the "baby" of the Z-senshi any longer. Not to mention he would have someone other than Trunks to play with.

Trunks was also looking forward to the new kid's birth for the same reasons, only not the sibling one. There was much excitement abroad in the Capsule building, especially when the rest of the Z-senshi outside of Capsule found out. Yamcha even accused Goku of being a closet sly old dog, which only made the Paradoxes break into hysterical laughter. They still did whenever they remembered it.

So Menrui settled in nicely at Capsule, and the shock of the Paradoxes' initial visit and the feelings of unease wore off. It was still funny to recall, though, the time when Krillin mistook Menrui for Kakkhan, only to have Kakkhan tap him on the shoulder from behind. Oh, yes, those were good times. But now, it was almost time for Kakkhan to start making his entrance into the University of Blue Star City.

:-:-:-:

Kakkhan looked idly at the college brochure in his hands. He'd already taken a visit around the University of Blue Star campus and had found that it had far more features than he'd first known; Kakkhan could practically have lived on campus after he toured it. As it was, it was within walking distance from his home to the college, so Kakkhan didn't need to. Gohan also had this privilege, but even so the demi-Saiyan sometimes expressed a wish to live in the dorms instead of outside of it, for convenience reasons only. Having seen the huge grounds of his own college for himself, Kakkhan could see why.

It would be good exercise, though, even if it wasn't very effective hauling loads of books to and from the school every day. So it was heaven for Kakkhan when he learned that he had picked the only college in existence with lockers for use by the many students who did not live directly on campus. Kakkhan did not thank the Kaios for the extremely welcome discovery, for he was not sure that the thanks would not be cleverly manipulated in some way or another.

The Saiyan knew he was being paranoid, but he did not trust anybody or anything gifted with the power to dabble in other people's lives as the Kaios did. The only gods he did trust were the Akuma Gods, and this was because they did nothing so directly impacting his life as any other gods did, except to force him to realize that he was immortal, and to assign him a Guardian to protect him until he developed his immortality enough for it to withstand anything and everything.

At the age he was now, he was too young physically to support a fully developed immortality system, so instead he just had an unusually strong immune system and a curious inability to be scratched, cut, scraped, slashed, burned, or otherwise superficially wounded and/or injured. This inability, added to Kakkhan's already tough Saiyan skin, made him virtually indestructible, more so than with just his Saiyan-strong skin. His enormous ki level, as well, further boosted his physical defenses, and Kakkhan could truly be called immortal.

However, if Kakkhan were to be pierced through the heart by an extremely strong ki javelin, stronger than he was at his Super Saiyan Two maximum, then yes, Kakkhan would die. But that was at twelve years old. When Kakkhan was twenty-five or so, even that danger would lessen, as would the danger of too much power overwhelming the Saiyan warrior, actually. Too much power was the only other threat to Kakkhan's existence, but as the immortal's inability to die strengthened, these dangers too would weaken in import to him.

But Kakkhan would not be truly immortal until two things, two things of devastating effect and importance, happened. These two things were not going to happen for a long while, but when they did, Kakkhan was not going to be the only one affected by such events.

For now, Kakkhan simply took a look at what subjects he could potentially take and involved himself in the investigation of the technological workshops U of BSC offered. He also started filling out the admissions application, even though it was only February at that time, simply so he could get his foot into the admissions office early and be considered earlier than other people. As a second-to-last thing to do college-related for that day, Kakkhan wrote an email asking for dates on taking the entrance exams into the college, as the university was very strict on entrance, and would allow no one with less than a 1300.5 on their exams and a 2,350 on the national CBSIE, or College Bound Student Intelligence Examination. A 2,350 was a slightly higher than average score for CBSIE, and because of this, University of Blue Star was filled with only those students who were reasonably intellectual.

Kakkhan had no doubts he was going to be accepted. What really was in the back of his head though, was if he was going to like being at U of BSC, or if he found it to be so pathetic there that he looked down on everyone, even the professors. Kakkhan didn't let the questions bother him though, but focused instead on entering, an easy task at best. It involved mostly waiting, a horrible undertaking for most, but for Kakkhan, he was simply too busy with his site, his job, visiting Capsule, and other things that he simply didn't have any room for agony. And why should he agonize? He knew he was getting in, it was just a matter of months.

For the last thing college-related to do for that day, Kakkhan started looking for CBSIE-taking sites. Within a matter of minutes, Kakkhan had located and secured a spot for himself in one of these sites in the old firehouse, now a city hall, right in Blue Star, not seven minutes away from his house. The CBSIE-taking was set for two weeks, enough time for Kakkhan to give Michael Hearse notice about it, though why he bothered, we shall never know. All we will know is that Hearse squinted disgustingly at Kakkhan, who simply looked him in the eye, before finally grunting an approval.

After all, Kakkhan was his best employee, although Hearse refused to admit it. Still, he couldn't afford to lose the pint-sized (though not for long, Kakkhan was growing in leaps and bounds already) preteen, and so Hearse was forced to let Kakkhan off for the CBSIE date. Of course, Hearse did not believe that Kakkhan would pass, and was already planning to work Kakkhan's inevitable doom to his favor, never mind the fact that his MVE, Most Valuable Employee, was a technological genius.

Being a technological genius wasn't enough to get high scores on the CBSIE, after all.

:-:-:-:

When Gohan came home from school that day, he found Kakkhan sprawled all over the comfortable sofa. He had headphones on his ears and a Playstation controller in his hands. Gohan looked at the TV screen and smiled as he saw one of their favorite games on it. He watched from the sidelines as Kakkhan fought the seventh level boss of the game. In short order, his brother defeated the boss, but instead of going on to the eighth level, Kakkhan paused it and stood up. Still with the headphones on, the immortal stretched, and Gohan could actually hear bones popping. Obviously Kakkhan's spine hadn't moved in a while.

As Kakkhan, stretched, he turned around and spotted Gohan. A smirk found its way onto Kakkhan's face and he greeted,

"Hey, Gohan. You been there long?"

'Only long enough to see you beat Vakjar. Nice job, by the way. I wouldn't have used the Star Jump Combo, but it did the job,' Gohan answered mentally, grinning at his smug twin. Kakkhan smirked wider at Gohan as he removed his headphones, leaving his ears nice and clear for audio transmission. Gohan grinned again at the thought.

Kakkhan straightened up from putting his headphones down and hid a wince as his back protested again. He had definitely been sitting on that couch for way too long.

Gohan picked up on the discomfort as only he could and winced visibly for Kakkhan and his stiff back. It wasn't for long, though, as Gohan hit on an idea that could possibly help loosen him up, as well as possibly help the curious restlessness to just _do_ something that Gohan had been feeling lately. He didn't know if the solution he had would work for the restlessness, but a spar would definitely help Kakkhan's spine.

"Hey, Kan," using his own nickname for Kakkhan, "why don't we have a spar? We haven't had one in a while, and I want to try the Spirit Glaive you were trying to teach me last time. We didn't get to," Gohan suggested.

Kakkhan's eyes lit up and he smiled, a secretive smile that had Gohan smiling broadly back in excitement. The twins looked to the right and to the left, then at each other, and bolted. They ran for the weapons room and for the set of stairs hidden in the trapdoor in its ceiling. Kakkhan beat Gohan to the rope, pulled down the stairs, and raced up them, Gohan a half-second behind him. They pounded up those stairs and burst into the light at the end of the semi-dark tunnel, coming out into a fantastic view of Blue Star City as it lay before them.

The Paradoxes, after Kakkhan declared victory, stopped to admire the view out of the huge windows of the attic for a few seconds, then turned to the switchbox on the wall beside them. Open, the little box revealed nine buttons, arranged in a three by three formation, which were different colors. Kakkhan's fingers danced lightly over the buttons and the windows transformed into a dusty landscape, with harsh winds blowing dust, sand, and grit into Gohan's eyes.

The demi-Saiyan could see clouds in the sky, but the majority of the heavens consisted of black empty space, with three yellow moons hovering in that space. A hardy gray plant the height of an elephant loomed determinedly over him; Gohan peeked around it to see the same gray plant growing in patches everywhere he could see. A few of these plants were even cut in half, as if someone had been using them for target practice for sword-fighting. For all he knew, someone had. Gohan glanced sidelong at Kakkhan, who was looking around with a wistful expression.

"I haven't seen Giendon in a long time," Kakkhan said, his voice soft. Gohan nodded understandingly. He did comment, though, on the clouds in the black space.

"How can anyone live here? The atmosphere is so thin, even with those clouds hanging around, it's practically nothing," he pointed out. Kakkhan just shook his head and started dragging Gohan by the collar past the plant next to them. Gohan responded to the pressure with a yelp of, "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Oh, stop it, Gohan. I'm going to show you the _Tiara_," Kakkhan retorted. He thrust a startled Gohan in front of him and turned him around by the shoulders. He commanded Gohan to stay still and to look straight ahead as he stood, no matter what. Gohan obeyed without question, knowing Kakkhan knew exactly what he was doing. He looked straight ahead at the dusty landscape of the planet Giendon, Kakkhan's home for ten Earthling years, and stood relaxed. He stayed this way even as Kakkhan placed his hands on his shoulders, even as a buzzing feeling entered his body. The buzzing started in his shoulders and went down his arms, then back up to his shoulders and into the chest, the stomach, the legs, and the feet. The feeling came back up and filed into the neck, the mouth, ears, eyes, and finally, the brain.

With the brain entered, the buzzing got more intense, then disappeared, abruptly, and Gohan saw.

He saw a giant silvery thing, oval-shaped and long, rising up out of the wasteland around them. It was huge, rising up to the height of a skyscraper seven stories tall, and was visible even from the lengthy distance Gohan was from it—200 kilometers—which was an impressive feat. But what was even more startling was the bright aura of light around it, through which lavender sky, large green clouds, orange ground with huge pink plants, and hundreds of the native blue-skinned ant-reminiscent Giendonese Mnemenots ("nee-meh-nots") could be seen.

The aura stretched from the silver monolith right up to Gohan's feet, and Gohan could see a shining, rippling, wall in front of his eyes that changed colors every so often, reminding the Earthling of the pretty rainbow he'd seen only yesterday. Gohan was grateful once more that he'd had Kakkhan around, for he had the feeling that if he'd walked into this aura, he would have experienced something _very_ nasty.

"This is the _Tiara_, the main residential ship of the Laniins. The Mnemenots allow the Laniins to live on their planet in exchange for the supply of the sodium nitrate that the Laniins are famous universally for, since NaNO3 was something that the planet of Giendon had when the seventy billion population of Mnemenots first inhabited it. But then the planet's atmosphere, which was made of sodium nitrate, started deteriorating, and thousands of Mnemenots started dying. There was nothing they could do to stop it, nothing. Until the Laniins arrived."

Kakkhan was silent for a few seconds, simply watching the scene before him. Gohan felt horrible during those several seconds that Kakkhan did not speak, for he was very interested in Giendonese culture, especially anything regarding the original inhabitants of Giendon, of which the Mnemenots were a single member of. There were two other species of beings that had occupied Giendon before the Mnemenots, but neither of them existed today. And now the Kjordians from Kjord-sei were trying to take over the planet, not only for Giendon itself, with its dusty wasteland and windy deserts being perfect for their existence, but also for the Mnemenots, to use as slaves for the galactic markets, both black and regular.

The alien slave trade was a thriving business universally, even though many solar systems refused to take part in it. Earth didn't even know about the universe beyond their own solar system, but this would change soon if the universe had any say about it.

However, for now, the Mnemenots, with the Laniins' help, were holding the Kjordians off, and Kakkhan had told Gohan that he would step in if he was needed, even though he was likely perceived as a traitor to Giendon by now.

"There are ten more ships like the _Tiara_ on this planet, and two of them, the _Dankre_ and the _Pasktem_, are even bigger than the _Tiara_, but the _Tiara_ is the main ship, mostly because of the fosterlings and the army that they will one day enter," Kakkhan continued. "Each ship has a force field that is capable of sustaining up to one million Mnemenots, but there are never that many natives per ship."

"Why not?" Gohan asked, curious. "And is the land in the force field what Giendon looked like before the atmosphere deteriorated?"

"The Mnemenots don't reproduce fast enough anymore to be able to reach ten million. The sodium nitrate rate is controlled, you know, so that the Mnemenots never reach that number. And yes, this is what Giendon looked like before the atmosphere started dying," Kakkhan answered.

"But then how is it that we're able to stand here, outside of the ship and its force field? I'm not sure if we could live on sodium nitrate, but how is it that we're out here and not unconscious from a lack of oxygen?" Gohan asked, in shock that he wasn't lying on the ground out cold from no oxygen.

Kakkhan simply Looked™ at him. "Gohan, we're not actually _on_ Giendon. We're just looking at a computer simulation of it. Yes, the computer is very good at making you _feel_ as though you are on another planet, but this G-dome isn't advanced enough to simulate the _real_ atmosphere of Giendon, which is lucky, because we'd be dad right now if we were, and that would not be pretty," he told Gohan, reverting back to his matter-of-fact self in the face of Gohan's "stupid" question. Gohan blushed, but nodded in comprehension and followed Kakkhan back to their original spot, back to the dusty square next to the gray _nuzwuzhick_ plant they'd stood next to earlier. They set themselves opposite each other and squared off, moving into their stances and catching the other person's eyes in intense stares. They stayed this way for a few seconds, then _bam_, they were off.

They met in the middle of the square they'd formed in a clash of knuckles. Both drew back and tried to kick the other one, but these kicks just got blocked by the other person's foot. They pushed off of these joined feet and sprang back. Instantly Kakkhan started firing ki blasts at Gohan, who merely pulled an electric blue staff out of his right hand and twirled it around, effectively blocking the ki attacks. On second look, however, the staff was in actuality a bright teal color, and it sported a humongous fifteen-and-a-quarter-centimeter blade that hummed lightly as it spun through the air. This was the Spirit Glaive.

Kakkhan frowned in concentration, then rapidly formed a Masenko in one hand and a Troposphere Blast in the other hand and threw them both at his twin. Gohan blocked them easily, his hearing picking up on the subtle sounds that the T-Blast made as it whizzed through the air. However, it was a feint, for a Grinasheare Bomb came flying at him a second later, and Gohan was unprepared to block it.

:-:-:-:

A/n: I was going to make it longer, but I decided to stop it here, as this chapter isover nine pages long, and that's long. Heh! I told you it was a long one! (Crows)

As for Chichi's dreams of Menrui, yes, that was past-Gohan's life up to the present she was seeing. This will become important later on, way later on, in the story, so watch out for it! Heehee, I love holding things over people's heads. /Rubs hands together maniacally/

How did you find the explanation of Kakkhan's "immortality" to be? I got carried away on the subject, so that's whyfew thingsreally college-related got explained in that section. Ha. /Rolls eyes and shakes head/ Figures something like that would happen to me. /Sighs, exasperated/ Oh well.

And as for Hearse... /Grins evilly/

And as for Giendon's history, what did you think? I'd love to hear your opinions! ;)

:-:-:-:

TRANSLATIONS:

Hai: Yes

sei: Planet

:-:-:-:

SNEAK PREVIEW OF: Getting Into College

Gohan, on the other hand, was panting heavily. Sweat was popping out on his face and running in droves down his temples and the side of his countenance, dropping off of his chin to plop on his shoulders and join the many other drops of sweat that had already soaked the gi there. Gohan's eyes were a ferocious emerald, like Kakkhan's, but these eyes showed their owner's inner conflict, unlike his twin's emotionless eyes. Gohan's hair was also stiffly vertical and gold, but that said nothing about Gohan's struggle for control as much as his aura did.

:-:-:-:

REVIEW RESPONSES:

**Fairy of Speed**: HIYA! It's great that you got an account:D Now I know what FoS means! LOL! I was going to ask you what it meant sometime, but you solved that problem for me. Thanks! Haha!

You still think this is the best fic you've read, even after **Kokuhaku**! Oh, my. THAT'S THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT I'VE EVER, EVER RECEIVED! Arigatou! (Bows) About the two chapters of **Vigilante Angel** and the one-shot of the same category, well, Allati isn't really forthcoming so much anymore as she used to. She's still around, though, so we may hit a huge inspiration strike sometime in the near future. It'll be about time, too. /Scowls/ Stupid Aline, taking my time up for **VA**... /Grumbles/

**Kakkhan**'s... better... than... **VA**! WHOA! That's a first! I've never heard anybody say that to me before. It makes me so happy, since the idea for **Kakkhan** was conceived before **Vigilante Angel** came into existence. YAY! (Does a jig in her chair) Finally, _someone_ appreciates **Kakkhan**. :D

I feel sorry for your eyes. Ay yi... At least you enjoyed it, though :D

You know, I actually have plans for Kakkhan to pair up with an OC. Have you been reading my mind, Speedo? (Narrows eyes) Nice name, btw. LOL! I haven't really been reading DBZ fics lately (SHOCK!), but the ones that I read either had Gohan pairing up with Videl or Lime, not an OC. So I have to agree with you, Speedo, that there aren't many of those around. /Sadness/ That's what I'm here for, though:D

So what was the last anonymous review going to say? It got cut in the middle, you told me, so what was it? Can ya remember? (Wondering) And what is the site comments about? The annoying author's notes in the middle of the text like in **VA**? Sorry, no can do. I'm trying to brush up my writing style for all of my fics, except for **VA**, which is strictly non-professional. LOL.

And why would the Paradoxes have told the Z-senshi about Gohan's past when Kakkhan didn't even tell them about _his_ past? (Raises eyebrow) Hmm?

**kate**: You _are_ special! (Hugs reader) :D How was the chapter?

**DBZ Chick1**: HI! I'll be reading! I don't remember much about From a Child to a Rebel, so I'll read the whole thing over again. /Shrugs/ It's great that you updated/Squeals/ It's okay that you didn't review earlier, because you reviewed now:D I'm not going to expect so many constant reviews from you in the future (Thanks a lot, Mom:Scowls:), but as long you as you review as much as you can, I'm happy... Mostly. LOL! ;) Great to see ya around!

:-:-:-:

**DBZ Chick1**,** Fairy of Speed**, and **kate**, thank you for your excellent reviews! (Bows)

Well, I'm going to try to work some more on Chapter Five now, so I'll see ya! Review please!

_Hishi za cagarea!_

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN; **Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated_ _04.02.05_

PS Happy Belated April Fool's everyone! Hope you played several pranks yesterday! ;)


	5. Three's Company

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

Summary: He's the rebel with a cause: to protect the Earth at all costs, no matter what, or whom, is endangering it. Second fic in the Kakkhan trilogy.

A/n: Erm…. Renjoy! (Translated as "Read and enjoy") And I'm sorry this is so short. Not my usual length… (Droops)

* * *

Last time on **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**— 

_Kakkhan frowned in concentration, then rapidly formed a Masenko in one hand and a Troposphere Blast in the other hand and threw them both at his twin. Gohan blocked them easily, his hearing picking up on the subtle sounds that the T-Blast made as it whizzed through the air. However, it was a feint, for a Grinasheare Bomb came flying at him a second later, and Gohan was unprepared to block it.

* * *

Chapter Five: Three's Company _

* * *

Gohan was trapped in the Grinasheare Bomb's destructive ignition and was thrown back from the blow into the hardy nuzwuzhick behind him. He stood up quickly, though, and charged at Kakkhan, his Spirit Glaive raised up high. Kakkhan countered by drawing his Spirit Blade and dashing forward to meet him, resulting in a collision that shook the dusty foundations of the desert/wasteland planet Giendon simulation, or seemed to. 

This battle continued for quite a while in this vein, until eventually the two Saiyans had to power up to SS1 to properly fight. Giendon's gravity was 500G times more than Earth's gravity, and the G-dome was advanced enough to affect the warriors within with gravity. To deal with the increased gravity, added to the Earth's own gravity, the Paradoxes were forced to power up as their phenomenal strength in base form grew insufficient to do so. They also powered up to be able to keep fighting each other. Neither of them wanted to lose the spar, even though the winner didn't get anything in the way of prizes, or anything like that, nor did the loser have to serve a punishment for losing. It was more about being on top of their games that mattered to them, and losing said that they weren't. Kakkhan had won almost even spar so far, but Gohan was catching up.

Gohan still had to ascend to SS2, but he wasn't focusing on that yet. SS1 was tricky for him to control still, especially at the highest level, which he'd reached a year ago in the Android timeline. It seemed that his ascending to two sub-levels of SS1 in as many days was not good for his energy generation, as Gohan's problem with maximum SS1 was maintaining a steady rate of ki to keep him at that level for long times.

It was at this level now that Gohan and Kakkhan glowed. Kakkhan's aura was a steady blaze, continually sending bright waves of gold up from beneath Kakkhan's feet up to Kakkhan's face, which was his usual cold and indifferent mask, up to a point two feet about his head. Kakkhan's hair, which had been black and down in his face, had blown upright and turned gold, the same color as his aura and just as bright. Kakkhan's eyes were a stony jade, and his face, although with his mask in place, held an angry look, as if he was enraged about something. This was actually a nice expression to have while fighting, or preparing to fight, for it was very intimidating, especially if Kakkhan Demise-Glared™ at you with this face. Yes, it was extremely intimidating, even to those who thought they were invincible. Cell still had nightmares about Kakkhan with that face, and the even more fear-inspiring façade of a SS2.

Gohan, on the other hand, was panting heavily. Sweat was popping out on his face and running in droves down his temples and the side of his countenance, dropping off of his chin to plop on his shoulders and join the many other drops of sweat that had already soaked the gi there. Gohan's eyes, like Kakkhan's, were a ferocious emerald, but these eyes showed their owner's inner conflict, unlike his twin's emotionless eyes. Gohan's hair was also stiffly vertical and gold, but that said nothing about Gohan's struggle for control as much as his aura did.

His aura, like Gohan's brother's, was also gold and fiery, but it flickered, unlike Kakkhan's, and it was clear that Gohan did not like being in this level. He was tense, his body trembled, his teeth were gritted, and his fists were clenched, all signs that should not be associated with energy manipulation unless one was in the process of powering up. Powering up was not what Gohan was doing at the moment, however, so his tension was not encouraging.

Kakkhan didn't appear to be concerned about Gohan, though. He raised a hand and burst a ki ball out of that hand. He hefted his teal Spirit Blade in the other hand and drew into an offensive stance, obviously planning to attack his brother as he tried to concentrate. Gohan seemed to be oblivious to the sight in front of him, but as Kakkhan lunged forward, Gohan looked up and blocked the Blade and the ki-charged fist his other half threw at him. Kakkhan skipped back, his black eyes revealing nothing, and Gohan returned to his issue of control debate without a glance.

A few seconds later, Kakkhan rushed Gohan again, and the latter blocked the former once more, but instead of falling back, Kakkhan pressed on. Gohan was forced to split his attention between Kakkhan and the power within him, and soon Kakkhan proved to be more worrisome than controlling his ki, as his brother just wouldn't stop attacking him. Gohan turned irritably to Kakkhan and focused solely on him. Kakkhan picked up on this and fought with more fervor, causing Gohan to abandon thinking maintaining his ki at max. SS1 completely, and to fight back with everything he had just to stay on his feet.

Kakkhan then opened up a flurry of offensive tactics that were designed to put enormous pressure on his twin, enough to make Gohan have to get offensive back in order for Kakkhan to back off. It took a lot of pressure, but Gohan finally cracked. With a huge surge of blazing ki, Gohan threw Kakkhan off and basted the Saiyan against the wall. Kakkhan got back up, slower than before, but quick enough to effectively block Gohan's next punch. He took the next attack from Gohan's knee on crossed arms as well, but he clamped down on Gohan's wrists next and prevented his twin from kicking him as well. Nevertheless, Kakkhan had to power up to keep Gohan still, long enough to ask him from behind,

"Well, Gohan, how does it feel to be in tune with your Super Saiyan abilities?"

Startled, Gohan jerked, and Kakkhan released him, floating back a few steps so as to properly regard his brother. Gohan spun around and looked with wide eyes at Kakkhan, his mouth asking, "What?" even as his mind went into hyper-mode trying to work out what Kakkhan meant by his statement.

Kakkhan merely floated by in amusement as Gohan tried to figure it out. He then took pity on his befuddled half and told him exactly what he was talking about.

"You realize that you've had absolutely no problems sustaining your high Super Saiyan powers for the past ten minutes, right?" Kakkhan asked. He graciously ignored Gohan's goldfish act and went on. "It seems that you just needed to not focus on how draining it was, but instead how to use it for fighting. You just needed to relax, and your ki generation did the rest. Of course, I'm not sure that getting riled up is exactly called relaxing…"

Kakkhan smirked at the stunned Gohan before him, then sobered up and said, pompously, "Congratulations."

* * *

Later, after a full-sized bout using the higher Super Saiyan powers, Gohan sat in meditation. Kakkhan, after winning the spar yet again, had left to do his hand exercises, leaving his brother to explore his ki center on his own. Gohan was doing this to see what had changed in it to let him more easily access and maintain the SS1 level at the highest. 

So far he had found that there was not such a tight grip on the enormous amount of ki that marked the SS1 level, even at its highest. Instead the ki roamed free, or bubbled contentedly on its own in his center, where most of his ki was at the moment. Before, Gohan had tried to keep all of his ki in the center, afraid that the ki would overwhelm him if he let it go as he did with his other levels of ki.

Apparently this had been the root of the problem he had had before, because he didn't really have any problems with that now. He still got tired fast from accessing the highest SS1 level, but that was understandable. Some base level sparring and continuous high SS1 level fighting would fix that, Gohan knew from experience fighting the Androids, but that was not the amazing thing. The marvelous idea was that Gohan felt in tune with himself, as he hadn't for a long time, since the Androids in his timeline, to be exact. It was something the twelve-year-old basked in and really took notice of for the first time. It really was astonishing to him that he could feel so peaceful after four years of fighting the Androids and the earlier years of fighting other people like Vegeta and Frieza.

The demi-Saiyan sighed inwardly, happy for the first time in the longest era, and brought himself slowly out of meditation. He left his shimmering white mind and headed for reality, ultra-subconscious of the dark orb trapped behind bars of light waiting patiently for him.

* * *

Two weeks later, Kakkhan emerged from the converted firehouse with a bored look on his face. It had not taken him long to complete each section of the CBSIE at all, but as Kakkhan _was_ conscious of a possible margin of error for himself, he had taken the time to check over his answer. Out of two hundred and thirty five questions, only five needed to be corrected, and there was one the immortal was unsure on, which might be a shock to some people. 

Other than that, Kakkhan breezed by on the test. While he'd been waiting for the next section to be started (there had been five sections in all, with forty-seven questions each), he'd taken a look around at his surroundings. He'd noted with a snort that everyone around him was either eighteen or older, although one could have been sixteen, and there were definitely no kids his age taking the CBSIE with him.

Earthling education really did need to be updated; it was paltry in Laniin standards, he thought. There was only so much that humans would be able to do in the universal picture of things with their education, and these humans needed all the help they could get. Kakkhan resolved to do something about this troubling issue, but what could he do? It was a question for a rainy day, a _very_ rainy day.

For now, Kakkhan merely strolled away from the city hall and to the nearby bakery. He stayed in there for five minutes, long enough to buy two of the famously huge cookies the bakery offered. One was his favorite, a macadamia nut cookie, and the other was chocolate chip, Gohan's craving. As he came out, he stepped back for a group of girls coming in. The last of these girls was a midnight purple-haired gray-eyed girl who looked to be about eleven, twelve years of age. She glanced at Kakkhan as she passed and did a double take, but the Saiyan didn't notice as he was already striding out of the door and leaving the baffled gray-eyed girl behind.

As the day was a Sunday, Gohan was out of the college. He wasn't at home, though, so Kakkhan tracked down his ki so as to see what his brother was doing. The Saiyan had quite a ways to go, too, but finally he caught up to Gohan at the pet store. Gohan was actually hovering between a small Great Dane dog and a coy tabby cat, both of whom had been house-trained, Kakkhan could hear the owner of the ship reassure Gohan. Nevertheless, Gohan continued to vacillate, so Kakkhan decided to step in and help out.

The Paradoxes had many times agreed that their house was too silent, too quiet, and that something noisy was needed to fill up the quiet. But what? Neither of the twins liked listening to music that much; they preferred to listen to the wind as it wandered though the trees, or the sound of a bird singing to greet the sunrise, and other of the same sort.

Even Kakkhan, who had been raised in city-like surroundings in the _Tiara_, didn't care for music of any sort, despite being around it with other Laniins. Janden had tried to teach Kakkhan an appreciation of music, Laniin or otherwise, but it was simply that Kakkhan and music just were not compatible, so the Laniin had given up after many fruitless and eventually half-hearted attempts.

So music had been ruled out, but it was not the only option left to the Paradoxes. Talking could fill it up, and the television too, and video games, and so forth. For all of these events, the Paradoxes invited over many of their friends to spend the day with them when the friends could, an invitation that was taken up eagerly and in increasingly large numbers each time. Needless to say at this time of the fiction, the Paradoxes were masters of animal magnetism, especially Gohan.

However, during the times when neither of the Paradoxes could (or when only one of them could) stand talking, television, or the company of their friends, there was nothing to fill up the emptiness of the house, and the hollow feeling that Kakkhan and Gohan gained from the house. Sometimes this feeling was much appreciated, but most of the times, it just made them uneasy.

Then one day, Gohan had suggested getting a pet. Kakkhan was skeptical at first, but Gohan latched onto the idea with the desperation of someone who had just had it. Kakkhan was hard-pressed to keep up his skepticism, but he eventually crumbled, and that had led to the current situation that they were at now, buying a pet.

"I rather like the dog myself," Kakkhan said as he stepped into the building to stand at Gohan's side. Gohan turned in surprise, but this emotion quickly gave way to a grin of excitement turned full force onto Kakkhan. The immortal Paradox raised an eyebrow and smirked at his brother in amusement, before they both turned to the storeowner.

The storeowner found himself on the receiving end of two identical gazes, one from the previous customer, Gohan, and one from the darker-natured customer whom had just come in. The gazes unnerved him, and he almost took a step back. If it weren't for Tomi, the tabby cat, who suddenly jumped up onto the darker twin's shoulder, the storeowner would have indeed stepped back. As it was, the brothers' attention was drawn to the cat, and the storeowner inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Out loud, he said, "Tomi! Get down from there this instant!" He hurried forward to help free the cat from the newer twin's shoulder, but he stopped suddenly and watched the scene unfolding before him with wide eyes. Tomi was a cat that liked to hang onto things, so, once the tabby got her claws hooked into something, it was extremely difficult to wrench it away from her.

It should not really have been so surprising, but the darker twin was handling her with ease, easing her claws open with a gentleness that the storeowner would not have believed he had if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. The boy's voice, startlingly deep, was also gentle, telling the tabby that it was not nice to dig her claws into someone, and that it would hurt both him and her if she dug any deeper. Tomi, characteristically, put up a fight initially, but with enough coaxing, she gave up and allowed herself to be placed back on the scratching post where she'd jumped off.

Meanwhile, Gohan was straining, and quite successfully too, to keep back the Great Dane, who had leapt after the tabby when she came down from the heavens onto Kakkhan. Theron was the Dane's name, and the dog was strong, even though he was young, only a year old, although the storeowner placed strong emphasis on the dog's excellent training. Gohan held him back with no problems, though, being a half-Saiyan, and while Kakkhan attended to the tabby, Gohan bent over Theron and tried to calm him down.

Theron was a difficult case, but under Gohan's care, he finally calmed down, even if his stare at Tomi on the scratching post did not waver. It was only when the storeowner handed Gohan the leash to clip upon Theron's blue collar that the Dane's attention was distracted, and Tomi was safe.

The Paradoxes then asked for instructions on how to take care of the Great Dane, having never had a "normal" pet before, and this only added to the storeowner's consternation. He duly pointed out all the things that had to be pointed out, such as dog food, taking him for walks, making sure that he had a big backyard, etc, etc. The big backyard was a bit of a worry for the Paradoxes, but when they told the storeowner the size of it, not including the passage to the front yard that Theron would also have, they were hastily reassured that it was excellent for their new rust-colored dog.

Having gotten the necessary information from the severely bewildered storeowner on taking care of Theron, as well as a basic personality assessment of the same dog, the Paradoxes departed. Gohan was able to keep Theron well in hand as he, Kakkhan, and the Dane strolled out of the store, but he did thank Kami he was stronger than the average human. If he weren't, he had no difficulties in imagining himself hanging on for dear life onto the leash of the runaway Theron.

Kakkhan snorted, clearly amused by the image, and Gohan mock-Glared™ at him. Kakkhan Looked™ right back, nonplussed, and calmly told Theron to heel. It was to Gohan's simultaneous consternation and humiliation when Theron did just that; the Dane dropped his headlong pace and trotted at Gohan's side, his tongue lolling cheerfully out of his mouth. Gohan hit himself on the forehead for forgetting so soon Theron's training, while Kakkhan merely smirked.

Coming home, they released Theron into the yard and watched him happily scout the new home. Gohan joined him soon, and while he romped with the rust-colored Dane, Kakkhan went back into the house. He came out only a few minutes later, but his hand were not empty this time; rather they were filled with Kakkhan's sleek platinum laptop in one hand and the bag he'd acquired at the bakery in the other hand.

The laptop he set on the table standing patiently on the deck, and left it shut for the time being. The bag, however, did not get such treatment: it was opened immediately after setting down the laptop, and the delicious aroma of the cookies within, still warm from the bakery, drifted out.

Both Gohan and Theron looked around as the smell wafted toward them, and as Kakkhan pulled his own cookie out, both of them reacted in exactly the same way. Their eyes grew wide and they perked up immediately; it didn't take them long to make their way across the yard to the deck and up on it over to where Kakkhan was already, munching on his snack.

Kakkhan pretended to be surprised to see them, but after Gohan Looked™ at him, the Saiyan surrendered the bag and watched amusedly as Gohan broke off a piece of the chocolate chip cookie and gave it to Theron, who had been watching him and Kakkhan with bright eyes. The Great Dane gently but eagerly took the piece from Gohan's hand, then started chomping on it. Gohan, for his part, positively tore into the rest of his cookie, which was a sizable amount. Kakkhan smirked at the contented smile Gohan wore; chocolate chip cookies really were Gohan's number one weakness.

Theron begged for more food, but neither of the Paradoxes had any more. So the Dane, his tail wagging despondently, went back to the yard, where he was distracted from his disappointment by the smell of the squirrel that had once been here a very long time ago. Gohan watched his new pet, happy now to just stand in the deck instead of being in the yard with Theron. Kakkhan opened his laptop and opened up the email program before he went anywhere else on the compute. He found that he had an email from Bulma and opened it up. The email proved to be merely a conversational piece, addressed to both him and Gohan, and it complained about how bothersome Vegeta was being lately, especially with his frequent anger tantrums of late.

Kakkhan could just hear Bulma ranting about her mate, and chuckled as he read the next line of her email. It was typical Bulma, long and full of technical terms that Kakkhan was both glad and dismayed to know, but the basic gist of it was that Bulma wished that Vegeta would tone down on his anger. An idea formed in the back of Kakkhan's head, which was not the part that led to the Akuma dimension, mind you. It formed in the darkness of Kakkhan's mind, actually quite near where the caged orb of light dejectedly waited, yowling in a despairing tone for the one that it had lost, the one it was waiting for, and the one the orb was sure was not going to return for a long, long time.

Kakkhan's eyes held a trace of mischief in them as he closed the email and browsed the rest of his inbox. Emails from their numerous friends in Blue Star were left for a later time, but the all-Library memo was not. Kakkhan grumbled at the news that there was going to be a staff meeting at twelve PM in the conference room, but his exasperation turned into shock and not a little bit of horror as he looked at his last communication item.

* * *

The communication item was a video mail, something that Kakkhan was quite used to getting. Therefore it was not this fact that quite surprised him. It was something so significant that even Gohan, who sensed his twin's chaotic whirl of feelings and came over to ask what was wrong, understood immediately upon seeing what Kakkhan was staring at. In fact, Gohan's own eyes grew wide and he turned to Kakkhan, his skin turning porcelain pale to match Kakkhan's own shade. By this time, though, Kakkhan had composed himself, and wore only his usual indifferent mask. 

Gohan watched with bated breath as Kakkhan moved the cursor over from the scroll down bar to the open button next to the video mail and clicked on it. Seconds later, a new window appeared, and a brilliantly colored picture of a medium-height Laniin, young, appeared.

"Hello, Eiranos."

* * *

A/n: Ooh… such an evil cliffie! Muahaha! LOL! I so look forward to your reviews:) (Cackles again) I wonder who could be the one who's contacting him? (Waggles eyebrows mischievously) I know, but you don't! Muahaha! (Readers' eyes start twitching) 

(Still laughing madly) All righty then, what do you think Kakkhan's going to get on his CBSIE? Give me a score between 1500 and 3000, but it can't be higher than 2,980; that is just too easy. Yeah. Hehehe… I'm about to be evil to a certain person we all will come to love to hate…. Muahaha! (Starts wringing hands like a mad scientist) I love being evil.

Readers: (In unison) We know! (Eyes are definitely twitching now)

SP: ;)

All right, all right, so I lied. The chapter title isn't actually "Going to College." Heh! I kind of got carried away, shall we say? The truth is, I don't have prewritten chapters anymore, so I just write a continuation of whatever I wrote in the previous chapter and paste that continuation into the sneak preview, just to make you all happy. Heh! So I'm thinking that I should take a break from **Kakkhan II** a while to build up the chapters, and to keep you in suspense, of course, so that I'm not in this predicament anymore. Is that savvy? I'm not expecting it to be, but I think I'll do it anyway. Ha! ;) I do have an evil reputation to keep up, ya know! (Snickers)

Readers: (Veins start popping out on foreheads, reminiscent of Vegeta)

* * *

SNEAK PREVIEW OF: Going to College 

So far the site had over twenty games, the new bulletin, the message boards, the constantly-evolving research-mythological center, the 234,757 communities set up by the members, and finally the help center.

* * *

REVIEW RESPONSES: 

For **Kakkhan: Giendonese Saiyan Warrior**--

1) **Honey Nut Loop**--What time is it for you then?

2) **Dragonmaster**--Like the name! I love dragons. I have a tattoo of one on my arm just now, cool enough! Yeeee! (Hugs arm to self) About the A/ns and the 1st person POV, well, fear no more! I no longer include them in my fics except for **Vigilante Angel**, and even that is just A/ns, no first person POVs. YAY!

Thanx for your input. I'm tempted now to go back and edit those chaps to exclude A/ns and change the first person to third person in POV. See how inspiring reviewers are? Keep coming back, please, I'd love to hear from you again! (Bows)

* * *

For** Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**-- 

1)** Fairy of Speed—**YAY! Gender games! Always fun. Of course, I did think you were a girl, untilI visited your bio... All I can say is, I'm spooky about that nickname. It runs in the family.

a) The Paradoxes are twelve years old. I'm just wondering why you would ask about that, since I mention that a lot…. (Looks furtive) Or if I don't, just remember that Kakkhan is seven years older than Goten and Trunks, and Gohan is the same age as his twin. :)

b) He WAS taught a lot at Giendon. He WILL and DOES know a lot more than the professors. Sorry if that wasn't clear. (Sweatdrops) To answer the question, Kakkhan is about, oh, 25 times more knowledgeable than the greatest genius out there. It's just that college degrees matter on planet Earth, sadly enough. (Sighs) Poor, poor Earth, she definitely does not know what is going to hit her when Kakkhan graduates. Eek!

Double Eek! Get off my wavelength!

Well, it looks like you're finally going to get your wish! The Demon Alley is back in the picture! Woot! Yeah, baby! (Dances around)

2) **Salazarfalcon**—Perfunctory Man Slaughter? Very nice, Fal-chan… Something else that is also very nice is Black Oleander. I haven't been able to review because stupid FF(dot)net was down, and I still have to review the last chapter of Shinrai. DA-N SITE! I HATE YOU! IF I COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU, I'D BE LEAVING YOU RIGHT ABOUT NOW! (Glares™ at offending screen). Yeah. (Huffs) Don't worry, I'll be by soon! Keep writing, Falcon!

Are you feeling better now otherwise? It's been more than a couple of days since I heard from you last, so you should be. If not, listen to Gackt and eagerly anticipate my incoming reviews. ;)

On a happier note (in case you aren't better after listening to Gackt heh), HI KYOKU! I'm SO glad to hear from him! LOL! Actually, right now I am sporting a dragon tattoo, and now that you have reminded me of him, whenever I look down at my tattoo, I will think of our beloved Kyoku. Yeeee! LOL! Can you tell I love him, much? But where is Yuki, the slash bishi? (looks furtively around for the muse) As for me, Rei's fine. Autumn isn't. Allati is trying to help me write more of **Kakkhan**, and right now she's succeeded, but it was close, very close. We almost didn't make it. It was getting Theron out of the pet store that stumped me. Heh! (Nervous laugh) Yeah. I need to get a life. Seriously.

3) **Hiaburi—**YOU'RE BACK! YAY! Thanx for your review, it really cheered me up! (Dances celebrationarily) (sp?)

4) **DBZ Chick1**— That's okay! I read it anyway. Great restart to things in From a Child to a Rebel, has a better atmosphere about it, not that it was bad before. Heh! Keep writing, An, I'll be there with you all the way! YAY!

* * *

**Honey Nut Loop**, **Dragonmaster**, **Fairy of Speed**, **Salazarfalcon**, **Hiaburi**, and **DBZ Chick1**, thank you very much for your excellent reviews! (Bows) 

Exams are literally next week. NEXT WEEK. I'm studying, I'm studying, but I have, like, THREE more days to go before they start, including the weekend, and methinks I'm going to be studying like crazy for them all. So don't expect any major updates until next Thursday, unless my brain gets so desperate for a rest that it completely shuts down on me, and then I will definitely update. LOL. After Thursday, or Friday the day after, will be the beginning of my break from **Kakkhan II** (Sighs). I will miss you guys…

On top of that, I'm frustrated because the disk containing my newest chapter of **Double Hate** has apparently just gotten up on its own two feet and walked away somewhere, and I can't find it! (Whines)

On to the next chapter! This time it IS "Going to College", I'm sure of it! (Holds up hands defensively) Don't hurt me please! (Cowers)

_Sinon!_

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN; **Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 06.02.05_

(SP: COME ON PISTONS! BEAT THOSE HEATS! (Shakes fist furiously) YOU CAN DO IT!)


	6. Going to College

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

Summary: He's the rebel with a cause: to protect the Earth at all costs, no matter what, or whom, is endangering it. Second fic in the Kakkhan trilogy.

A/n: Well. I'm back. (Grins sheepishly) No, I haven't gotten around to writing more chapters like I promised, mostly because I was too busy to think about that AND Allati wasn't around to help me out either. Not a good combo. Still, I felt guilty that I was leaving you guys to wonder what I was doing and why I wasn't updating and all that jazz, so I decided to do one chapter and part of another like I've been doing for the past few chapters and make you guys a little happier. THEN I'll start all the pre-written chapters and indulge myself in torturing you all. Heh! I'm such a sadist.

Allati: (Nods apprehensively, then ducks out of the room again)

(Notices) Poor Allati. She's so afraid she'll get rejected because she wasn't doing her job, but I'm too hung up on **Kakkhan** to do that. If only she'll let me explain...

After all, she _is_ the only one who knows the **Kakkhan **plot, whatever that is (yes, there is a plot! Whoohoo!). (Shrugs) Ach vell...

Read and enjoy, please! The sixth chapter of **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter** is coming right up!

:-:-:-:

Last time on **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**—

_Gohan watched with bated breath as Kakkhan moved the cursor over from the scroll down bar to the open button next to the video mail and clicked on it. Second later, a new window appeared, and a brilliantly colored picture of a medium-height Laniin, young, appeared. _

"_Hello, Eiranos." _

:-:-:-:

Chapter Six: Going to College

:-:-:-:

**Non-translated Laniin language**

_**Translated Laniin language**_

'Telepathy'

:-:-:-:

It was Rakael who had sent him the video mail, although she had spent many Earthling months trying to track down his computer. The video was mechanical, sent only to confirm that it was indeed Kakkhan she was contacting. She did assure Kakkhan that the way she'd found and contacted him was private, known only to her and her alone. Kakkhan was not happy, though, even when Rakael told him that there was a possibility that the next child being brought to Giendon was to be trained specifically to "deal with him". How she knew this, she could not say, as it was too risky at the time.

However, Kakkhan could guess, and what he had in mind was that the Laniins were looking at each and every child that came to Giendon more closely than ever, regarding each as a potential assassin for _him_, simply because he had officially "resigned" from the _Tiara_ fosterling army. It was not fair, and Kakkhan knew it.

The reason, though, that Rakael had contacted him in the first place was that she did not feel all that good about the future of Giendon, especially with the war against the Kjordians going on. She had the feeling that the Kjordians were preparing to mount an all-race offensive against the Laniins, although this would take them a while if they were indeed planning that. As such, Rakael knew that the Laniins would need Kakkhan's help, indeed as much help as they could get, for the Kjordians outnumbered both the Laniins and the Mnemenots by the billions, although the Laniins were in possession of far superior technology than theirs.

It only helped Rakael's resolve that her teachers would not listen to her thoughts on the subject of the Kjordians, and there she was because of it.

Kakkhan wanted to know how Rakael had come across the information that the Kjordians were actually planning such a massive attack, but as the video he had been sent was not interactive, he had no choice but to email her back, preferably under a penname. So, with a worried glint replacing the mischief that had been there earlier, Kakkhan drew up and quickly composed an email, signing it as **K**erlin **E**vos **J**arlander **S**layina** G**ord, or KEJSG. These were actually Kakkhan's initials if you put both his Giendonese name and his Earthling name together, or **K**akkhan **E**iranos **J**anden **S**on **G**ohan. It was clever, yes, but if someone equally as clever as Kakkhan came along, they would easily be able to figure out that it was Kakkhan that was speaking with Rakael, and the whole thing would just blow up in both of their faces.

This was why Kakkhan was only sending any emails after the first one under the pseudonym "Slayina," the second-to-last name in his made up name. It was the name corresponding to the initial that was the least known about him, and hopefully the least remembered by those who did know it, those who had known that his name had once been Son Gohan.

:-:-:-:

As Kakkhan's computer was equipped to talk inter-galactically, it was not a problem to send the email straight back to its sender. However, it would take the email a little over a day to reach its destination, so Kakkhan closed down the email system and turned his mind to other matters, such as maintaining his site.

Gohan watched cautiously as Kakkhan brought up the proper program on his computer and began in his usual systematic way to check for any bugs on Daemon's Alley and other things. Kakkhan appeared to be fine, but Gohan could read his twin very well now, and he could tell that Kakkhan was _not_ fine. However, working on the Demon's Alley site was one of the most relaxing things that Kakkhan could do for himself, so Gohan left him to do his work and went to collect Theron from the yard instead.

On Daemon's Alley, the population was currently up to 237,757 people. This was still a small number compared to the huge population out in the world outside of Blue Star City, but more and more people were joining every day, and thousands more were simply visiting, making the visitor toll skyrocket at unbelievable rates. Kakkhan and Gohan were hard-pressed to keep up with the load, such that Kakkhan was considering "hiring" some help from some of their friends, especially Midori and Keiko, who were avid. _Really_ avid fans. They were actually begging for Daemon's Alley merchandise, a headache that the Paradoxes didn't even _want_ to go near yet. It was way too early for that kind of thing right then.

So far the site had over twenty games, the news bulletin, the message boards, the constantly-evolving research/mythology center, the 234,757 other communities set up by the members, and finally the help center. The help center was the major constituent of Kakkhan and Gohan's work, aside from the message boards, as these reported bugs, viruses, worms, login problems, game problems, direct link funk-ups; the list went on and on.

Generally the Paradoxes didn't have any major bug problems or anything like that, thanks to Kakkhan's re-personalization of his laptop (done the Laniin way), but every once in a while they would come up and cause problems. Kakkhan reacted speedily to each and every bug/virus/worm that he, Gohan, or other people spotted; as such Daemon's Alley was rarely ever down, and if it was, it was never more than two hours.

Because of this, Daemon's Alley had a reputation of being reliable, which brought in more people, and created more work for the Paradoxes. It was a vicious cycle, but Kakkhan and Gohan managed it pretty well. It was just a lot of work.

As Kakkhan clicked on the FAQs page, located in the help center, he reflected on how far his pet project had come. There were apparently a lot of people who wanted to find out/were fans of akumas than he had thought, and they had all come to his site. More, like said earlier, were registering every day, although there was occasionally people who visited the site and left what was called a welder—a not so complimentary rave—or that was what Kakkhan called them. Gohan named those kinds of things "flames", but Kakkhan didn't like that. Flames were good, because then food got cooked and edible with them. There was nothing wrong with raw stuff (at least not to Saiyans), but it was better to consume vittles after they'd been—essentially—held over a fire.

Gohan agreed heartily.

The Saiyan noticed on his open site that an akuma picture, drawn by Gohan, was blinking, and he sighed. Speak of the Limborgai. He was _just_ thinking of bugs. Still, the immortal got straight to work, expressing his intolerance of bugs, computer or otherwise, by viciously stamping it out with his Spatula program.

:-:-:-:

Kakkhan got his CBSIE results a week later. Out of 3,000 possible points, he had scored 2,928, which amounted to a ninety-seven point six percent, he rapidly calculated mentally. He smiled smugly to himself as he looked over his exam, which had been mailed to him with the results letter, accompanied by an answer key. Kakkhan frowned as he saw some of the answers they had instead of his own, and looked the problems over again. He shook his head in confusion at some of the answers, but mouthed an "oh" of comprehension on others, a small minority of the problems he had gotten wrong.

It was strange what these Earthlings could cook up and then get wrong. Kakkhan resolved to write to the CBSIE board and tell them that they were wrong and get them to change their scoring of his exam. He knew that the CBSIE board was likely to dismiss his proclamation, but Kakkhan was prepared to defend his thesis to the very end, even if it ended up in court. This was wrong, and Kakkhan did not tolerate stupidity or ignorance very well.

Shaking his head, Kakkhan folded up the packet. He laid it aside for the present moment, promising to do it later, and started looking at what colleges had sent their brochures to him today. There were quite a few: five today, and seven had all clamored for his attention yesterday. They were still in a pile, too, waiting for him to open them up and see their contents in all of their glory.

Kakkhan merely tossed the five new colleges onto the ever-growing pile and went onto the rest of his mail. He was only interested in University of Blue Star, the one with the lockers (unusual, for a college to have lockers, when they had dorm rooms, he mused absently for the seventeenth time), and no other colleges would please him.

Of course, college was going to be a breeze, since he was on a level so far and above the professors of U of BSC, but it would be interesting to see how those said professors presented their information and what little patterns he could work out from their lesson outlines. Yes, it would be very interesting indeed.

Hopefully there would be some professors easy to rile up, for he needed the practice to deal with that arrogant badger Hearse. On second thought, not a badger; it was insulting to those woodland creatures. Hmm... perhaps a **yizgoshlein**? Yes, that would suit him. He would have to tell Gohan his new nickname for his boss; it would make him laugh.

Kakkhan was already chuckling at seeing Hearse as a **yizgoshlein**.

Another thought occurred to him. What would Hearse think when he saw Kakkhan's CBSIE results? The immortal knew what had been going on in Hearse's head when the employee had told the employer about the CBSIE-taking appointment three weeks. The thoughts had been vicious and dark, blasting their way straight out of the human's head to arrow in all directions.

Kakkhan had been distantly surprised that none of the other employees had suddenly clutched his or her head in pain from all of the thought-arrows, but as the majority humans did not have the ability of telepathy, this was understandable. Still, it did not give Hearse the right to think such dirty thoughts about the doom of one of his employees, especially such a young and smart one as Kakkhan. The immortal snorted. His egotism was going to get him nowhere. Really, where had that thought come from?

Oh well. It was good to indulge himself sometimes. He had best not do it all the time, or he'd start thinking it was actually that way. Wasn't that just like Hearse? The Saiyan shuddered dramatically. Oh, the horror.

Still, a smirk grew on his face. The smirk described all of the evils in the world; if one were to see it, one would instantly flinch and go to cower in some corner. It was so small and yet so full of trouble that it transformed Kakkhan's face into something else entirely; he looked more Saiyan in that moment than he had ever been before, and it was just a little smirk.

It was Hearse show-up time.

:-:-:-:

when Kakkhan strolled into the Main Library the day after next, he had an immobile mask on his face. It was not his pure unemotional face, but it was very close, enough for everyone to think that something had gone very wrong.

Everyone, including Michael Hearse. The heavyset man picked up immediately on the young employee's mood and quickly figured out that those CBSIE results would have returned by now. Slowly, a cunning grin spread out onto Hearse's fleshy face, screwing up the cheeks and eyes into a monstrously ugly expression worthy of the **yizgoshlein** term he had unknowingly been dubbed. He fairly danced over to Kakkhan's domestic area with this expression on his face, and everyone held their breath.

Sensing the approach of the **yizgoshlein**, Kakkhan smirked ever so slightly. The smirk was gone before anyone could see it, and the mask was back on his face when Hearse clapped a broad hand onto his shoulder. Slowly Kakkhan looked up, repressing a disgusted shudder at the feel of those fingers on his clavicle and stared straight into Hearse's face.

"Bozu, you seem to be in such a sad mood today. Whatever is wrong?" Kakkhan's boss asked, a sickly insincere smile showing his crooked teeth. Stonily, Kakkhan shrugged the hand off of his shoulder and ignored his boss, like he usually did. Hearse was willing to put up with this behavior, just to see what was "upsetting" his youngest employee, although he had that figured out already.

Well, if the gaki wasn't going to tell him, Hearse was going to have to do this himself. Time for your doom, boy...

Delicately, the moneygrubber inquired, "Is it perhaps your CBSIE results? You were telling me that you were going to take them, but you didn't know when, so you should be excused if you didn't show up one day. Is that what's bothering you? Tell me, please, if that is so."

Those cold black eyes were back on him again, and again Hearse shuddered inside. This kid creeped him out sometimes and he didn't control the gaki, which made things worse. That was why he constantly kept an eye on his youngest employee and looked for things to hold over his head. This seemed like the perfect chance...

"I only got a ninety-seven point six percent on my CBSIE exam. I'm petitioning the Board to change some of the answers they had for..."

Kakkhan's voice faded into nothing for Hearse, although his mouth was still moving. The roar in his ears was too loud, too ferocious, and before his very eyes, Hearse saw all of his plans to control the gaki fall apart. He realized that Tairyoku Kakkhan was a genius; that this employee was much smarter than he was, and that was a chilling thought. In a panic, Hearse cut off the young immortal.

"Out! I want you out! How dare you come in here and try to usurp my position as head of the Main Library from me! From now on, you're fired!"

In the shocked silence that followed, Hearse realized too late what he had said. However, he could not take back his words, so he crossed his arms and glared at the impassive Kakkhan, whom had not moved since Hearse started talking. For a second, the heavyset man thought he saw a glimmer of gleeful amusement in those black endless eyes, but it was gone when he blinked and looked again, leaving the moneybags-lover that much more unsettled.

The tension in the room increased when Kakkhan stood up. All eyes were on the youngest employee, but all he did was start packing up his things. As Hearse sneeringly watched along with the other employees of the Main Library, Kakkhan opened up his book bag, took out all the papers in it and laid it on the desk before him. He neatly arranged the papers in a pile on the desk, then closed his book bag and turned to the other areas of his workspace.

Since he had known that he wouldn't be at the Library for long Kakkhan had very little personalization in his space. All he had was a group of floppy disks and a pen stand, as well as an inspirational poster saying, "Behold the turtle that makes progress only because he sticks his neck out." The picture of a turtle with his neck stretched out and a smug smile on his face accompanying the saying was quite appropriate, or so Kakkhan thought. He didn't care if no one else did.

Taking down the poster took a bit, by which time Hearse was clearly getting impatient. The other employees, especially Alberto, were viewing Kakkhan with a mixture of apprehension and sadness, as everyone in the building had gotten to know the twelve-year-old prodigy who was already in the workforce. Most of them liked him, enough to miss him when he was gone.

Finally, Kakkhan was done, after refusing the help of the brave few employees who offered it. Without a word to anyone, he got up and strode toward the door, his bag banging against his legs. Before he exited, just before, he paused and turned slightly.

"I was planning to leave anyway as soon as I got accepted into college, but this just makes things easier for me," Kakkhan told his audience. "It is messier, though. Not just for me, but for you, too. Firing the resident prodigy is not going to do wonders for this company's reputation."

With that, Tairyoku Kakkhan turned back around again and left.

:-:-:-:

For his first deed of freedom, Kakkhan clipped a leash onto Theron and let the dog tow him out of the backyard where the Great Dane was sequestered. Usually it was Menrui who walked Theron, since Kakkhan usually didn't have the time to do so, being at his job and all. As such, Kakkhan was as close to the dog as Ru was, and he wanted to rectify this.

They walked to the park, where Theron was let go on the conditions that he didn't go very far and he didn't bowl anyone over, like he did that poor small child once. Kakkhan still once upon thinking about that.

Nevertheless, Kakkhan walked over to a nearby park bench, drew out his laptop, and booted it up. It was right at that instant that he received an email from the CBSIE Board, causing Kakkhan to whistle appreciatively, if softly. They responded fast.

The contents of the email also were surprising. It included a lot of fancy language, but the basic gist of it was that Kakkhan was right and they were wrong. They had corrected the mistake and sent him another letter with the real results, but those results were the final ones and could not be refuted. Kakkhan nodded, satisfied with that for now, although he still harbored some resentment. His score would now be a ninety-eight point eight percent, which was not bad, not bad at all. then again, the ninety-seven point six percent was not shameful, either, but Kakkhan just felt better about it overall.

Now he could start the long business of applying for the University of Blue Star City.

:-:-:-:

It didn't take Kakkhan that long to apply, nor get accepted, but it seemed long to him, who was used to getting things done right away. Sitting in his first class with his laptop open, Kakkhan listened with raised eyebrows as the professor before him, Professor Cyril Ethane, droned on and on about the emperors of the Tang dynasty in ancient China.

Some of it Kakkhan had already been taught on Giendon, but there were definitely some things that the Laniin-raised immortal had not known. His studies had focused more on Japanese and Giendonese history, as well as other planetary histories, and so had neglected somewhat the other Earthling countries and their histories.

It looked like Kakkhan was going to learn something after all.

After the first class of World History, Kakkhan went on to the math section and was bored beyond belief in that class, as he had expected to be. Really, this was 10G material! He found himself shaking his head in disbelief. He really did have to do something about Earth's poor education standards. Still, he liked the room, which was plastered with posters related to math stuff, Albert Einstein's face, math stuff, and Albert Einstein's profile. It was the only thing he liked about it, though. The people in the classroom were, well, he was sure he was insulting real idiots by referring to his math class by using that word.

Learning to speak German, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, and modern Greek wasn't that bad. He definitely liked his professors for each of the languages, and in two cases, he had the same person for two different classes. Professor Galen Brainwright taught both his Swahili and modern Greek classes, and Professor Notaku Penn headed German and Russian, despite the fact that he was Vietnamese. Kakkhan had plans to learn Vietnamese from him anyway, but he decided that he had enough languages to keep him going for the moment. Again, Kakkhan had been more preoccupied with learning Japanese, Chinese, English (American and British), French, Laniin characters, Saiyago, Gorthani, Iyoga, Raelinish, and so on, rather than most of the Earthling languages.

It was too much for Kakkhan, whom had believed that the Laniins had taught him everything that he needed to know, then suddenly found out that they hadn't. More fosterling army treatment, he thought bitterly, the disillusionment hitting him hard again. Was it ever going to end?

Apparently not. Kakkhan breezed by on the science, especially engineering and technology (a fact that he was _very_ proud of), and computer programming, but he was stuck on art, both in theory and practice. He was taking a photography class, which turned out to be probably the best thing to help him realize that Laniin education was limited too.

It was the catalyst for Kakkhan to finally see the flaws that the Laniins had in being solely concerned with engineering and technology, although the music lessons said that Janden at least was not of that mindset. There was life outside of technology, beauty outside of binary code, pride outside of being able to fight and program this and that, and something to do other than play around with robots.

Life on Earth had suddenly just gotten more interesting.

Just for the heck of it, although Kakkhan was not sure if he really needed it, he signed up for a sociology class, studying human social behavior. Menrui was thinking about taking psychology later on, but not right now. Kakkhan was told by his scheduler to take it easy, to not do everything at once. His only reply to that was, "Do you want me to get out of here in three years?"

He had no problems after that, though there was still doubt in the eyes of the scheduler. Not only did the many classes he was taking result in a completely screwed up schedule, he had so much homework every night that Kakkhan often spent seven hours doing just homework. However, Kakkhan didn't mind; it gave him something to do besides work on his site and eat. It wasn't as if he hadn't been trained on Giendon for this kind of thing; Kakkhan recognized that as a good thing he'd taken out of this, not a false sense of his own learning.

He'd deserved to be brought down a peg or six, Kakkhan admitted, if only to himself, as his behavior had been absolutely atrocious! Kakkhan sighed. He'd better stop bashing himself or he'd have absolutely no faith in himself, and he needed that. Menrui had enough low self-esteem for the both of them.

:-:-:-:

Translations: 

**Yizgoshlein**: a term for the lowliest and ugliest of the few animals inhabiting Giendon; will be commonly used by Kakkhan as a very dirty Laniin term for a Human.

Bozu: kid

Gaki: brat

:-:-:-:

A/n: Whew! Nice one! It seems that Kakkhan still has a bit to learn while he's on Earth! YAY! It's nice to know that his birth planet can still do something for him. It also appears that some of Kakkhan's ego has just been killed! Yikes! I wonder how Kakkhan is going to act now? We'll find out! Ha!

Before you ask, no, I don't know any German, Russian, modern Greek, French, or even Japanese. I know some Spanish, a lot of Latin, lots of English, and that's it. Lovely. :) I know some math (Algebra II honors anyone?), and science (don't ask), but definitely not as much as I would like. Bleagh. So I have some learning to do along with Kakkhan, which won't be so bad at all. :) Anybody out there know any of the above languages, even if it's just a little, feel free to barge in and help me out!

How many of you are surprised that Hearse fired Kakkhan? How many are not surprised? Write your reviews, people! I seriously would like to know what you guys think. Was it fair, or unfair (what kind of a question is _that_?)? And so on.

And what the heck is up with Rakeal? Where did _she_ come from? Well, if you have to re-read **Kakkhan: Giendonese Saiyan Warrior** (like me XP), I suggest you do that. I have to do some revising anyway, so there's that, as well. As for the Kjordians, well...

:-:-:-:

SNEAK PREVIEW OF: Super Saiyan Sparring

Sure enough, it was Rakael's face that popped up in front of him. "Oh, good, you're here. I have just found something about the Kjordians. By my calculation, they'll be attacking Giendon in full force in about three years," she gasped breathlessly, obviously from having run to her room from someplace.

:-:-:-:

REVIEW RESPONSES:

This chapter's review responses can be found at **TheShadowPanther's** website, under homepage in her bio, under the heading of "Review Responses" on the navigation bar.

:-:-:-:

**saiyaman**, **Gohan's one**, **Fairy of Speed**, **Salazarfalcon**, **DBZ Chick1**, **Hiaburi**, and **here kitty kitty kitty.**, arigatou for your reviews! (Bows)

My website, mentioned in the Review Responses section, is still under construction, so please DO NOT visit the rest of the site once you are done reading the responses. Ya can't even go to the Journal, although I think the Guestbook and the Forum you can visit, if you wish. Just start a thread on the Forum if you go there, because I need some desperate communication! Please! I'm begging you here! Now, if you don't see any review replies for this chapter when you visit the site, be patient, I'm still new at this. They'll be up there eventually. ;)

When I was writing this chapter, at first I didn't have much of a college chapter, but then I decided to tell something about Kakkhan's professors and this is the result. I hope you liked. I still feel like I didn't put in enough, but I guess I'll be talking more about college as I go on.

Now, be honest here. Do you guys feel like the last five chapters were totally boring and didn't do anything to contribute to the story? That's the way I feel, and I might do some re-writing because of these feelings. My decision WILL be influenced by your opinions, so cough up! You have quite a bit to tell me about. :)

NOW I'm going to start pre-writing chapters. Expect another long break like this one, and two pre-written chapters (maybe) since I have to do community service as well (gasp!), and well, I'll see you laterz!

_Hishi za cagarea!_

**TheShadowPanther **and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN;** Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 07.10.05 _


	7. A Visit to the Akuma Dimension

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

:-:-:-:

Last time on **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**—

_He'd deserved to be brought down a peg or six, Kakkhan admitted, if only to himself, as his behavior had been absolutely atrocious! Kakkhan sighed. He'd better stop bashing himself or he'd have absolutely no faith in himself, and he needed that. Menrui had enough low self-esteem for the both of them._

:-:-:-:

Chapter Seven: A Visit to the Akuma Dimension

:-:-:-:

It was a big adjustment, going to college, Kakkhan reflected as he fell onto the couch after school. It was time-consuming, leaving Kakkhan practically no time to socialize. Well, that was going to change. Starting today, he was going to visit people every day, even if he didn't feel like it. He was going to start with the Z-senshi at Capsule and go from there.

He hopped off the couch and took a look at himself. First, he'd better take a shower, he decided. He looked as ragged as he felt. Eyeing disdainfully the two backpacks waiting for him, Kakkhan turned and stomped into the shower. While in the shower, the immortal sensed Menrui's ki coming into the house and changed his mind about visiting Capsule. He hadn't taken his twin to the dimension of the Akumas yet, even after a year. It was about time that he did that.

He came out of the shower and quickly dressed. 'Gohan!' Kakkhan called, jumping down the stairs.

"What?" Menrui asked, alarm in his wide black eyes. Kakkhan smirked at him, showing him that there was no danger.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that I haven't shown you the Demon Dimension yet, and you've not met Lotto. That's all," Kakkhan announced to his past counterpart. Menrui looked surprised, and he managed to stammer out,

"Lotto? As in your akuma guardian?" At Kakkhan's sharp nod, the demi-Saiyan simply stared at the other boy.

"Why?" Menrui merely asked.

"Because you're my brother, you deserve to be taken to the City and because I haven't gone to that place in ages," Kakkhan replied, rattling off all the possible answers to that question. He would have gone on, but Menrui stopped him by saying weakly,

"Okay, okay, you've got me. When are we going to go?"

"How about now?" Before Menrui could move, Kakkhan grabbed him and shoved him within the thin fiery barrier that guarded Kakkhan's mind. _This action was reminiscent of a move that Kakkhan had performed another time, another place, and in another environment. In fact, it was exactly the same thing, with just as little warning and as much shock afterwards. _

_The difference was that Menrui knew Kakkhan now; he knew that his twin didn't mean for him to be shocked. He didn't mean the disorientation that Menrui was feeling upon suddenly standing in an immense ever-shifting room of darkness in which there was no up or down, just forwards and backwards. _

_Kakkhan_ could _just let Menrui enter his mind on his own, but that just wasn't his style: Kakkhan had to do something or be bored out of his mind. His twin also liked to be center of attention, although he certainly wouldn't admit that. Oh, Kakkhan got tired of the limelight sometimes, and didn't grab for it when it wasn't on him, either, which was a relief to Menrui._ Vegeta….

_But Kakkhan definitely liked to be noticed. He liked knowing that he was thought about, seen, and acknowledged, even if it was only by a grunt in the rudest cases. _

_As he trudged after Kakkhan in the darkness, having started out after Menrui's dizziness had passed, the demi-Saiyan deliberated about his twin. _

_It must have been Kakkhan's Laniin upbringing, the way everyone Kakkhan came into contact with paid attention to him, even the most innocent bystander. It was the custom, almost a law, to give everyone one met one's undivided attention, even if one positively loathed the person, or persons as it were, one met. This custom had, inadvertently or not, increased awareness of the people and beings around one's self, which in battle was a sure benefit, one that Menrui was struggling to acquire himself. _

_Despite all the blindfolding that Kakkhan had forced him to suffer through, Menrui still didn't quite grasp the concept of spreading one's consciousness everywhere around one's self. Kakkhan had told him—rather tartly—that he'd done it before, when Piccolo had been hiding and Gohan still could not sense ki. _

"That was then, this is now!" _Menrui had retorted, the blue headband over his eyes covering them so completely that he had his arms out for balance. _

"Oh, Gohan, stop thinking like that. Once you've learned something you never stop knowing it. Now relax and let it flow to you. Try and sense where I am before I hit you," _Kakkhan had shot back. In the next second, he had completely dampened his ki and disappeared so that Menrui was suddenly all alone in the darkness. _

_Which just brought them right back to the original thought-train: Kakkhan did things with little to no warning, raising his level of unpredictability in a way that was dangerous, sometimes._ _It certainly made life with Kakkhan interesting, at any rate. _

_Menrui looked up from his thoughts just as Kakkhan slowed down. Menrui picked up his own pace to catch up with Kakkhan, who lengthened his stride when Menrui appeared at his side. _

'Are we almost there?'_ questioned Menrui, watching with interest the growing forest beside them. It was dark, close, and moody, with cobwebs stringing across everything, but it was fascinating to Menrui, the nature boy. The path they were following, though was cobbled and clearly well traveled, even with the signs of it being overgrown with moss, once. Indeed, there was still some of the green lichen to be seen clinging to the pebbles of the way, especially at the edges of the stones. _

'Yes,_' responded Kakkhan, breaking Menrui's inspection of the mysterious, brooding scenery. _"In fact,"_ he added, speeding up his step again, _"we _are_ there."

_Menrui followed Kakkhan's gaze as he hastened his own gait. He couldn't see as much as feel **something** out there in front of him, **something** that did not recognize him or feel that friendly towards him. But this was the same thing that Kakkhan had felt, so Menrui was not as scared as he would have been, merely wary and alert, and even curious. _

_It was this wariness that enabled Menrui to dodge out of the way of what appeared to be a miniature leopard. The house cat-sized leopard paid Menrui no heed, however, having focus only for Kakkhan. _

_Kakkhan, too, sensed the cat's appearance, for he turned around just before it could leap on him. However, the immortal did not move out of the way, only calling as a broad smirk lit up his face, _

'Lotto!'

_So this was Lotto. To Menrui, It seemed bigger than what he remembered of the neko akuma from Kakkhan's memories. It had the same huge fangs that Kakkhan remembered, the same sleek conformation lines, and the lashing forked tail, which was whipping the air as Lotto pounced on Kakkhan. Laughing, the Saiyan caught the akuma and buried his head in Its fur. _

'Oh, Lotto, I missed you so much!'_ Kakkhan cried in that hissing language of the akumas. _

_With a start, Menrui realized that he'd just understood those hisses. Kakkhan had actually said something to the akuma that Menrui could decipher! It had been with resignation that Menrui had told himself that he'd never understand the Language of the Akumas without Kakkhan's help. _

_It had been hair-raising to listen to it and not understand what was going on back in his timeline, but a tiny part of him had still wanted to know how the akuma language worked. This tiny part had grown and shoved itself to the forefront after the demi-Saiyan saw Kakkhan's memories, but the mortal boy had berated that part and pushed it away. _

_Well, that part was coming back in full force. Menrui listened interestedly as Lotto snarled a complaint back to Kakkhan about his long absence. As Menrui's future counterpart apologized, another shape stalked up. _

'Hmpf. That (censored) cat always gets first dibs on the Legendary Lord. _Always._ You would think that _I_ would be able to greet him every (censored) once in a while, but **no**. The (censored) Guardian gets to be _first_. Hmpf. I at least beat out Yoki and his (censored) uma,'_ the hulking greyhound-lean form muttered. _

_It took one more stride for the other akuma to reach Menrui; once It did, It grumpily sat Its haunches down and disgustedly watched the _touching_ reunion playing out before It._

_Menrui blinked, startled, at the newcomer. Like Lotto, this akuma was red-eyed, had huge fangs coming out of the corners of Its mouth, and Its paws and claws were uncomfortably large in proportion to Its sleek body. The waving forked tail looked as lethal as Lotto's, but there was one difference between this akuma and Lotto: this was more like a dog than a cat, actually only a shade smaller than the Paradoxes' own dog, Theron the Great Dane. _

_To Menrui, this akuma was also vaguely familiar, as if he'd seen It somewhere. It came to him just as It turned Its face to him. _

'InuYasha?' _Menrui gasped, his mouth slightly open. The akuma sitting beside him looked disconcerted for a few seconds, but as It took a closer look at the **stranger** here, the look cleared up. _

'I know you, you're… you're the (censored) hybrid who the Legendary Lord was watching in that alternate timeline. You're the one with the darkness in his soul… The one I was sent as a messenger to!'_ InuYasha declared, adding a glower for the last sentence. _

_If Menrui wasn't nervous before, he certainly was now. _'Uh, yeah, I am, I-I guess,'_ he stuttered. InuYasha looked him up and down, then asked, suspiciously,_

'Has that **neko** greeted you yet?'

_Menrui shook his head hastily. This was the right thing to do, for (somehow) the inu's expression brightened. _

'All right!' _the akuma crowed. _'I get one over the damn cat at last! Welcome, Prince of Puzzles, to the City!' _With that, the dog bounded off, calling over Its shoulder, _'Come! I will take you to the Demon Gods!'

_Menrui stared after the gleeful akuma, feeling like he'd been run over by a truck, a human one that is. These were the feelings of shock and being overwhelmed that plagued Menrui, and they only increased when the **something** before him suddenly solidified into a concrete image. _

_There were the iron gates, the many multi-sized buildings crowding beyond it, and rising above it all was the Tower. From far away, the Tower seemed like a shining multi-faceted crystal planted right in the middle of the City for no apparent reason. Menrui took a half-step forward, his mouth hanging open, as he took in the attention-grabbing sights before him. _

'Come on! What are you waiting for? Let's go already!'_ the gruff voice of InuYasha razed through the air to Menrui's hearing, breaking the boy's shell-shocked reverie. He looked dazedly at the inu akuma waiting impatiently for him, then let his gaze travel back up to the City. His feet carried him to the glistening, waiting gates, where InuYasha was, and followed the akuma as It raced though the entrance and zoomed away. _

_All of a sudden, Menrui found himself jerked forward, as if **something** were pulling him. Things and images flashed by him in the blink of an eye, and it seemed to him that there were more pairs of red eyes than could possibly exist—_

_And then it was over. _

_Menrui stood before the Tower, the crystal planted randomly in the middle of the City, and gawked. Seconds later, Kakkhan and Lotto appeared, as well, and they stood with Menrui and looked with him at the tall building standing superciliously in front of them. InuYasha had already disappeared, so it was Lotto who rumbled, _

'Welcome to the Tower, Prince of Puzzles.'

:-:-:-:

_Contrary to Kakkhan's experiences, the inside of the Tower was bright and airy. Menrui looked in awe at the impeccably designed pattern of black and white tiles, with the white tiles overwhelming the black in number, even if the black tiles were larger in size than their white complements. Menrui couldn't help but feel that that design was symbolic of something, of many things, and he attempted to ponder the symbolism, but the stairs distracted him. _

_The stairs were alabaster and seemed to pulsate. Menrui's sharp eyes picked out other stones accompanying the alabaster, but it was mostly the white seashell-like stone that Menrui saw. The pulsating somehow seemed to result from having the alabaster mixed in with the marble, the white onyx, the pearl, the cloudy diamonds and crystals, the quartz, and the polished sandstone, but as far as Menrui knew, that was impossible. _

_He was suddenly reminded of his own necklace, the crystal pendant that Kakkhan had given him—was it only a year ago? It seemed so much longer—that had protected him against the Androids. He reached into his shirt and drew the ornament out. Within seconds he was blinded by the brilliant light that beamed out from the small crystal, illuminating everything around it and its owner._

_Then the light retracted into the crystal, which was no longer a crystal but a shimmering alabaster, just like the stairs, leaving a stunned Menrui, an immobile Kakkhan, and a very interested pair of akumas in its wake. _

'Yessss…'_ InuYasha muttered, Its voice only a low growl. Lotto added, in Its own snarl, _

'It has come, at last.'

_Both of the Paradoxes turned to the akumas inhabiting the same space. InuYasha had apparently come back from wherever It had gone, for It was padding back towards them now. Both It and Lotto were staring intensely at the emblem Menrui was holding; so intensely, the hairs on the back of the demi-Saiyan's neck rose. Nervously, Menrui protectively drew the necklace closer to him as he queried, as intimidated by the stares as his actions said, _'What has come? Why are you staring at my ki damper like that?'

_Lotto didn't answer. Instead It transferred Its gaze from the Necklace to the Mortal clutching it. Menrui was unnerved even more, but he stood his ground. At last, InuYasha broke the tension with a snap. _

'We should get going. The Gods are waiting for us.'

_Menrui looked up, gulped, and nodded. He looked for Kakkhan, found him, and pleaded for reassurance without a word. His Immortal twin seemed to understand, for he fell into step with his Mortal counterpart and placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly. _

_Menrui's nerves quieted, but only temporarily; with every stair they took, closer and closer to the Demon Gods, they jangled louder and louder until Menrui was constantly surprised there were not echoes fleeting after them. As it was, Kakkhan only looked curious, even perhaps a little grim, and the two akumas in front of them were as silent as the quartet's footsteps on the stairs. The only sound to be hard besides Menrui's internal chaos were the soft breathing rhythms of Kakkhan and Menrui. The daemons apparently didn't need to breathe. _

_Then came the archway through which Kakkhan and Lotto had visited the Gods of the Akumas so many times before. Menrui would have stopped, but Kakkhan pushed him on, deaf to his brother's mental protests. The Immortal forced the Mortal through the cupola after the akumas. _

_All of a sudden, Menrui felt oppressed, like he was being weighed down by something extremely heavy, but there was nothing there. With a tremendous amount of effort, Menrui forced his eyes to lift, although they dropped instantly again and he had to start over. Why he was struggling so, even Menrui didn't know, but he kept trying. From a far-off direction, he heard someone utter in a frosty, deep voice, _

'Kindly let go of my brother. He has done nothing to you.'

_A split-second was all Menrui allowed himself to think over the words. _My brother? Who's the brother? To whom has he done **nothing**? Is that why Menrui was being punished like this, because the brother had done nothing? _Further questions went unacknowledged as the weight pressed down even more on the demi-Saiyan. _

_It was then that Menrui started to panic, and with the panic came the need to get out from whatever was on him. He started to struggle, his ki raising in proportion to his growing hysteria, but the _thing_ still held on. _

_A white aura flickered around Menrui, as his energy increased to that level, but it rapidly turned to blue, then red, and finally showed edges of gold. Menrui's ears caught snatches of a voice that called encouragement to him, concern in its fluctuations. Menrui wanted to tell it not to worry, not to be so concerned, but the tonnage wouldn't let go of him, wouldn't let him reach for the kind inflections. He then began to get angry—_**'Why won't you let me go to him?'**_he roared silently, _fiercely—_and he lunged for his ki, let it flow into him, helped it bolster him, strengthen him, support him—_

_A flash of golden color, a ferocious roar, and a huge upheaval of ki later, Menrui threw off the hand of the God and leaped for Kakkhan. He grabbed his twin's shoulders and yelled, _'Don't worry, I'm all right! Don't worry!'

_The warrior stood, panting, in a conflagration of flaming aureate, and abruptly returned to his senses as he felt hands on his shoulders. He stared unthinkingly at his mirror-image—_except that his hair was gold now—_still panting heavily, when Kakkhan stated, _

'You did it, Ru. You did it, you passed the test.'_ The Immortal's eyes were as bright as his vociferation was rough, and his breath was as heavy—_as Menrui's_—as his grip on his brother's shoulders was tight. _

'Test? That was a **test**?' _Menrui grated out. His vocal cords felt raw, as if he'd been screaming for hours on end. For all he knew, he might have been. _

'Yes, and you passed with much honor,'_ another voice boomed out. It came from the shadows in front of Menrui and Kakkhan, and yet it was everywhere at once, bounding off from the walls and coming back with double intensity. Menrui felt like his ears might bleed. _

_Before the Mortal's stunned eyes, the shadows faded away to unveil a giant dragon-ish akuma. Gray wings rose out of Its back and jumped high over Its head to blend in with the shadows It wore. Red eyes regarded Menrui over a long snout, in which two huge fangs resided, resting on either side of the lower jaw. A long neck led the way to the rest of the body, which had the same sleek luster as any other akuma Menrui had seen, but the light bounced off of large iguana-like scales, not seemingly wet fur. A tail curled around the massive legs, all four of them, and like any daemon's, it was forked. _

_Despite all this fearsome appearances—_the claws were huge on those hands!_—the Demon God did not frighten Menrui. Rather, it had a look of frailty not unlike that of birds, and it exuded only a pleasant pride. Menrui found that he was sorry to have had such rage at It for not letting him cheer up Kakkhan, though he still shuddered at the fresh memory of that unbearable mass. _

_Suddenly the demi-Saiyan realized that he was still in Super Saiyan mode. He started to let go of the ki which had been so helpful to him, but the Demon God stopped him. _

'Do not power down. Your rite of passage is not over yet. You will want to remain as you are for the second, and last, part of your test, Prince of Puzzles,' _It said. The darkness had crept around the God, so Menrui could not see Its face, and he had to rely on Its voice to tell him what It thought. _

_For the first time in what seemed ages, so much so that Menrui jumped, Kakkhan spoke up. _'Is this second part going to be the same as mine? That is, will Ru have to fight the Grim Reaper to show his immortality?'

_The demi-Saiyan in question felt shivers go up his spine, and not just at Kakkhan's question. This was the second time that his twin had called him "Ru", his personal nickname for the name "Menrui", and not "Gohan". Menrui brooded as he realized that _he _himself had not thought of him as Gohan, either. He hadn't for ages, he saw now, and whenever Kakkhan had called him "Gohan", he'd had a sense of confusion, of discomfort, before he'd remembered that he was Gohan, that it was he whom was being addressed. _

_He sighed, feeling lost. Who was he? Was he Menrui, or was he Gohan? Was he the doomed warrior fated to fight the Androids in that long-ago losing battle? Or was he the free time traveler learning about Spirit Glaives from his soul-twin? He felt torn, like his soul was being ripped in half. _**Who was he?**

'He isn't immortal, you know. So what will Ru be tested on? Is it— Ru, what's wrong?'

_The sudden note of concern in his twin's speech brought Menrui out of his drowning reverie long enough to look up at his strong counterpart. Kakkhan's forehead was burrowed and there was a slight look of—_was that panic he saw in those black depths?_—in Kakkhan's eyes. This only served to make Menrui feel guilty, so he tried to comfort Kakkhan, let him know that he was all right, but he couldn't make the effort. _

_Something must have alerted Kakkhan to his plight, though, for the Saiyan grasped Menrui by the shoulders, as the demi-Saiyan had done minutes before to Kakkhan, and stared into his twin's green eyes. _

_Menrui could feel Kakkhan nudging at his mind, his light-filled mind that was slowly becoming dark, as the darkness caged by light gently broke free. The boy tried to concentrate on the powerful **presence** edging into his mind, but the darkness was embracing him, promising him that everything was going to be all right. Menrui closed his eyes…_

…_and opened them again as a pair of muscled arms encircled him. _

'You're _not_ taking my brother,' _Kakkhan said. His face was turned to the space beyond them, however, so it was clear that Kakkhan was speaking to the darkness in Menrui's mind. Still, Menrui couldn't help but whimper as the shadows retreated, at which point Kakkhan tightened his grip and turned back to him. _

'Hey, bro,'_ the Immortal greeted._ 'What's wrong?'

_Menrui let his head fall forward onto Kakkhan's shoulder, even as his own arms lifted and hung on to his twin. He didn't say anything, but he didn't need to; the returning light whispered the answer to Kakkhan. _

'Oh, Ru,'_ the Saiyan sighed, his shoulders dropping as he relaxed._ 'I'm so sorry.'

'For what?' _Menrui asked, his forehead still finding that nice spot on Kakkhan's shoulder. _

'For confusing you. I kept calling you "Gohan" when you had become used to "Menrui", and called you "Ru" when you expected "Gohan". When we get out of here, I'll try harder to keep them straight. You're—'

_Menrui cut his brother off. _'I'm not either of them. I'm not Gohan anymore, but I'm not Menrui either. I'm a nobody, and I'll always be one. How could I expect to be somebody when I came to this world? Everything's changed, but I haven't, and I'm lost, a victim of identity crisis—'

_Now it was Kakkhan's turn to interrupt Menrui._ 'Listen to me, Gohan Menrui,' _he started in a sharp voice. Black eyes met green as the demi-Saiyan hosted his head up from Kakkhan's shoulder._

'You are **not** a nobody. You are both Gohan _and _Menrui, _and_ my brother. Don't _ever_ forget that, _ever_ again. Whatever I call you, whatever other people call you, always know that you are Son Gohan and Tairyoku Menrui,' _he continued. _'Those lives may clash sometimes, but it _is_ possible to be the person who lived _both_ of those lives. Do you hear me, bro?'

_Listening to Kakkhan's words, Menrui felt something uncurl inside of him, something that had tightly wound up a long time ago. It felt to the demi-Saiyan that he was falling apart, and he grabbed for the disappearing part. But the arms around him stirred, reminding him of the stubborn brother still with him, and he sighed. _

_He let the part dance away from him, and watched, startled, as it dove back into him and fit itself back into its original position. But it conformed in a different way than before; Menrui held his breath as the fragment wriggled, seemingly for a more comfortable position, then rested. The demi-Saiyan held his breath a little longer, but then he had to release it—and the component still held. He took another breath, and one more, but through it all, the piece stayed. _

_It felt weird, how it was now, but it was definitely more comfortable, and it allowed him to grin with wonder at Kakkhan. _

_The Saiyan slackened again, as everything seemed to be okay with his brother again. Just to be sure, he added sternly, _'When we get out of my mind and back to reality, you and I are going to start **talking**, and you _know_ what I mean by that.'

'Even if that applies to you?' _Menrui asked, jokingly. His smile faded as Kakkhan blinked back at him, clearly astonished. _'Oh, Khan, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—' _Menrui started to apologize. _

_He hadn't mean to offend his brother, he wanted to say, but Kakkhan shook his head at him._

'No, you're right. I need to talk about myself, too,' _he said, smiling easily at Menrui, who grinned back in relief. Together, they looked towards the Demon Dimension, where more than three souls waited for them. _

_Kakkhan fell back into himself with an internal sigh, but immediately returned to business. He turned with Menrui to gape at the eight other beings in the room with them, along with InuYasha, Lotto, and the Demon Gods. _

'What are you doing here?' _Kakkhan accused Yoki, eyeing him and his life-hating horse akuma._ 'And what are _these_ people doing here?' _he continued, waving at the other three pairs of Horsemen and Horses. _

_Only these Horses were not daemons; these were horse Morphs, or horses that had been created out of dead body parts, picked organs, and given life with a touch of the rune **Lide**, and perception with **Bashir**, movement with **Nata**, and finally the gifts of thought and learning with **Donatien**. As a result of this, the Morphs looked rather grisly, but they were clearly valued for more than their looks. _

_The Grim Reaper simply grinned, a grotesque drawing back of his lips that sent chills scrambling all over Menrui. _

'Hello to you, too, Legendary Lord. It's been a long time,' _the Akuma Rider calmly told Kakkhan, who just Looked™ at him in return. Yoki only chuckled. _'As humorless as ever, I see. Fine. These,' _he gestured to the Horsemen standing behind him, _'are my fellow Horsemen. I once asked you to introduce yourself to them, but you declined, saying that—'

'That I despaired greatly at the thought of there being more of you, yes, I remember,' _Kakkhan finished, looking over the Reaper's colleagues. _

_There was one dressed in an all black outfit consisting of a mid-thigh length coat buttoned on the right side of the chest and long, loose ebony pants with thick obsidian boots strapped on underneath. He had an impish face accentuated by the impeccable goatee he wore and the longish black hair stopping at his chin. The wicked grin reached the clear blue eyes and warmed them, even if it _did_ promise mischief as well. A sable top hat topped it all off and rounded the outfit up quite nicely, Kakkhan had to admit. _

_The second "colleague" turned an intense stare onto Kakkhan, whom had the feeling that the sleeveless gray shirt and the jade knee-length shorts he wore were not his usual dress. The sharp angles of this Horseman's face and the muscle-packed body he sported made him seem like an instant bully, but there was a mind behind those grim brown eyes hidden unkempt blond hair. He seemed to be troubled, too, but was the last person who would admit it. _

_The last co-worker, the only female, was striking in her blatant expression of sexuality. Kakkhan only raised an eyebrow at her tight clothing, but Menrui blushed so hard he looked like he was going to be sick. Knowing green eyes didn't help the situation at all, especially with the kohl underneath them. A white stripe ran giddily through the woman's shoulder-length brown hair, zigzagging wildly as though it were drunk. Brown nail polish completed the ensemble, covering fingernails that looked like they had been bitten with precision. _

'I hoped you would, Legendary Lord,' _admitted Yoki, resplendent as always in his ragged cloak, bandaged arms, loose breeches, and his bandaged legs and feet. His trusty scythe was clasped loosely in his hand. He continued, blithely, _'That _imp_ over there, my lords—'

_The Reaper pointed with his free hand at the raven-dressed Horseman, who promptly whisked off his hat and bowed deeply. _'I'm Flint, my lords,' _he told them, straightening up. He motioned with his top hat to his Morph, a horse that seemed to be merely a coal-painted skeleton, and announced, _'And this is my trusty steed, Flaunt. We are the faction that represents Famine.' _Both he and the Morph bowed; a jingling came from the saddlebags of the Morph, drawing the Paradoxes' attention to a pair of golden scales affixed to them. The Morph tossed Its head and snorted; Flint only smiled mysteriously. _

'My name is Wenton, commonly called "Wen", and my Morph is Witter, also called "Wen", or "Witt",' _the blonde man spoke up. He rolled his eyes at the mock glare that Flint sent his way, even as another Morph limped up. This Morph was the color of old blood and bore many scars. Like Flint and Flaunt, these two bowed to Menrui and Kakkhan, but didn't mention if They represented anything. _

_Menrui watched Witter nudge Wenton and felt an immense tiredness come from the pair, as if they were old soldiers who had participated in a long war that hadn't ended just yet. Kakkhan felt it too; there were no words needed when it was clear this Horseman and his Morph symbolized War. _

_It was with a simpering smile that the last Horseman—or rather Horsewoman—introduced herself. Kakkhan instantly distrusted her, and Menrui felt goosebumps pop up on every centimeter of his exposed flesh. Neither of the Paradoxes trusted her, and it became apparent why. _

'For Pestilence,' _she purred, wrapping a hand around the nose of her white Morph, _'we stand before you. I am Penelope, and this is Peninah. Right, my Pearl?'

_The Morph, which was whiter than even Yoko, nickered, bumping Its owner with Its nose. Their bow to the Paradoxes was exactly as the pairs' before Them, but with a distinctly different air about them that instantly made the courtesy a disrespect. Kakkhan shook his head disgustedly. Menrui simply looked away. _

_Without warning, the Four Horsemen leaped for Menrui. _

:-:-:-:

Hours later, Menrui was still recovering from the second part of his test in the Akuma Dimension. All four Horsemen had attacked him: Yoki, with his sickle; Flint with two Japanese knife-like weapons known as karakurijitte; Wenton had a large unadorned staff called a rokushakubo, or just bo, and Penelope wielded a fan with iron ribs and a beautiful picture of the sky on it. Penelope also carried a short samurai's sword called an owakizashi and she fought with this as well as her fan, making her just as dangerous as her male Horsemen counterparts.

Kakkhan had been pushed out of the way by Yoki and restrained from protecting his brother from the mad Horsemen by the Demon God Itself. The immortal had then understood that this was Menrui's second test, and had quieted. It had still been hard for him to watch.

Menrui himself had yelped when the Horsemen all piled on top of him. He'd been in Super Saiyan mode, still, so he'd bounced back fast, but fighting four Horsemen all at once had been no easy task. Soon he was hard-pressed to defend himself, and how could he attack if he couldn't guard?

The scenario had reminded him too much of the Dark Androids in his timeline, and at first Menrui had flinched away from that, resulting in a painful smack from Wenton's bo. Then he'd started to get angry again, but not at the Horsemen. He became angry at himself for letting them get to him like that, for not being strong enough to overcome that memory.

So it was with a yell that he forced everyone back, although they were quick to come back again. This time they didn't all press in at once; they instead sought out his weak spots and nailed them when he wasn't looking, forcing him to try to bolster his defenses again as he was attacked from four different directions.

The different attacks at different times were also annoying Menrui, adding to his rage and his ki as he tried to attack someone, anyone, although he never did. Finally, he'd had just enough; in a fantastic display of bronze fire, Menrui went past the highest level of Super Saiyan and blazed his own trail to Super Saiyan Two.

Kakkhan had been impressed.

The four Horsemen hadn't been as lucky. They had been blasted away, beaten, and left bloody, torn up, and in Flint's case, unconscious. But it was only when Kakkhan got into Menrui's mind again that the demi-Saiyan had snapped to and surveyed the damage he had wrought.

Needless to say, Kakkhan and Menrui had started in on that **_talking_** process with a lot of stuff to consider. Menrui wasn't over the damage of the new Super Saiyan level yet, but he wasn't in shock from seeing the Horsemen lying around like busted up rag dolls, either.

As Menrui sat feeling each and every one of his bruises, Kakkhan bustled about, getting tea for his brother and wrenching open the jar of Senzu Beans he still had. He handed one to his brother and watched, satisfied, as all evidence of the gauntlet Ru had just endured, disappeared. Kakkhan put away the Senzu Bean jar and was just handing Menrui some tea when his computer beeped.

The Paradoxes looked at each other and then back at the machine. It would beep only if a certain Laniin were contacting them, and she would only seek them out if it was important….

Kakkhan moved over to the computer and touched the keypad only briefly. The screensaver vanished, instead throwing up a dialog box with an "Important Message Incoming" message flashing beside a red exclamation point. The Tairyoku twins looked at each other and waited, as Kakkhan clicked on "OK".

Sure enough, it was Rakael's face that popped up in front of him. "Oh, good, you're here. I have just found something about the Kjordians. By my calculation, they'll be attacking Giendon in full force in about three years," she gasped breathlessly in Japanese, obviously from having run to her room from someplace.

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A/n: I'm trying to cut down on my author's notes for all of my stories. That's why there isn't one at the beginning of the story, where I greet you all and welcome you back to my story. I'm sorry if you were greatly disturbed by this. (Don't worry, this includes me. (Sweatdrops))

If you have read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, you will have seen some elements from that book in here. Specifically, the horse Morphs. I do not own the rights of that Romantic literature. I didn't put this in the disclaimer above because that would have given it away, so I'm doing it down here, in case anyone gets any ideas. (Narrows eyes) As for the runes, those are mine. (Smiles possessively) Yeah. Don't take, please.

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SNEAK PREVIEW OF: As the Years Go By

As the Tairyoku Twins grew older, their interest in girls increased as well. They weren't dating as of yet, as they didn't have the time, but they kept their eyes open.

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REVIEW RESPONSES:

Go click on the link under homepage in **TheShadowPanther**'s bio and click on "Review Responses" on the navigation bar to see the responses for this chapter.

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Thanks for the reviews, **Lucy Wood**, **Fairy of Speed**, **Salazarfalcon** (sorry I didn't review chap. 6), **Gohan's One**, and **here kitty kitty kitty.**! I couldn't write nearly so much without you guys.

Well, I don't have anything else to say, except that I know that this chapter is definitely more interesting than last. It had some elements of the first visit to the Demon Dimension, but was different enough to be interesting. (What do you think of the four Horsemen? Do they sound familiar, anyone?) Really, this chapter ran away with me, which I am glad for, because I'm finally getting motivated to write my favorite fic. (Not that **Vigilante Angel** isn't important….) I was getting guilty….

Take care!

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN; **Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 07.23.05_


	8. As the Years Go By

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

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Last time on **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**—

_Kakkhan moved over to the computer and touched the keypad only briefly. The screensaver vanished, instead throwing up a dialog box with an "Important Message Incoming" message flashing beside a red exclamation point. The Tairyoku twins looked at each other and waited, as Kakkhan clicked on "OK". _

_Sure enough, it was Rakael's face that popped up in front of him. "Oh, good, you're here. I have just found something about the Kjordians. By my calculation, they'll be attacking Giendon in full force in about three years," she gasped breathlessly in Japanese, obviously from having run to her room from someplace._

:-:-:-:

Chapter Eight: As the Years Go By

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It was lucky that he had written that "Makeover" program, Kakkhan reflected. The change digitally of his facial features, hair, and even body structure meant that Kakkhan could, or really must, act any way he wished, so long as he didn't act as himself. When Kakkhan himself would have just sat there stonily, unblinking, his new character, a green-haired twenty-fear-year-old man with a hunched back and glasses, behind which the ruby eyes constantly blinked, instead stopped breathing and closed his eyes.

Kakkhan blew out his breath and re-opened his eyes a minute later and looked into the screen at the anxious Rakael.

"Thank you, Jamila-san," he told the face in that small video blog box. Jamila was Rakael's alias given out to strangers hailing from the mono-biotic planet Earth. All Laniins had a series of aliases for the different planets or planet systems that were recorded in their database. As an expected result, any Laniin had over fourteen hundred names that were assigned to them in case of contact with one of the planets registered in the massive database the Laniins kept. Rakael had one thousand, five hundred and sixty-two names, but Kakkhan wouldn't be surprised if that number had increased since he resigned.

"We still start the necessary training immediately," Kakkhan continued, his character shoving his glasses up his nose. "Do you have any advice for us?"

Rakael hesitated, a flicker of an emotion passing behind her green pupils. Kakkhan politely ignored it, choosing not to find out what the feeling was.

"…While training, work on both your physical and mental guards and attacks. Remember that defense is more important with these creatures than attack," she said.

Kakkhan nodded. Kjordians were all about attacking, not defending, and it was better to wait them out first, get them tired, before finished them off in two swift clean moves. However, Kjordians also liked to use killing strokes, so a great defense was doubly important.

"You will want to start learning how to attack with both your mind and your body at once. It will help stun them," Rakael went on. Kakkhan listened intently to the Laniin's words, ignoring the scratch of pencil on paper behind him. "Spirit attacks and your ki attacks are going to come in handy. Practice lowering your **presence**, as well. Up your speed, too. And, Slayina," Rakael said, seriously. The Earthling on her screen—he was so totally foreign he couldn't be anything _but_ an Earthling (so much so that Rakael doubted it was Kakkhan she was speaking to)—squinted up at her.

"Practice feeling no emotion."

:-:-:-:

It turned out that the scratching sound behind Kakkhan had been Menrui copying down Rakael's every word. It was one of those times when Kakkhan thanked the Kaios for his twin, for he was a time-saver. The Paradoxes started training then in earnest, but there were careful not to focus _too_ much on the things Rakael had recommended. They added in other things as well: ordinary weapon work, more blindfolded hide-and-seek, and more meditation.

Some days they just beat each other up, no extras allowed. They varied the training schedule every day; some days they sparred; some days they meditated. Some days were even spent hiking, to increase their endurance. They had races, balancing exercises, and just plain fun games designed to refresh their minds and their bodies.

Not all of the next three months was spent training, however. They still went to college, had homework, and studied for semester exams. Since Menrui had entered college a year before Kakkhan, he was graduating thirteen to eighteen months before Kakkhan, who had already gotten his Bachelor's degree in Science despite the heavy workload he'd taken on.

Menrui was the proud owner, too, of a Bachelor of Arts degree, obtained in only two years with a major in Fine Arts/Drawing. Kakkhan as hard at work on his Master's in Computer Science, which would take him two years, possibly a year and a half if he kept driving himself the way he had the past year. The Languages he'd taken in his first year of college also qualified him for a Bachelor's in Arts, but Kakkhan decided he'd shoot for that after the Kjordians were driven off.

Even with college and training, Kakkhan and Menrui still found the time to socialize with their many friends in Blue Star City, the Z-senshi, and the residents of the Akuma Dimension. Usually when the Paradoxes visited the Akumas, they would end up sparring with one or more of the Horsemen, although it was rare to have all four in the same place. Menrui and Kakkhan would always be pushed to their very limits, even though the Horseman sparring them was always left more bruised than considered healthy.

In Blue Star City, the Paradoxes' human friends had finally reached a plateau in number, and while there was a main group of about eleven or twelve people including Kakkhan and Menrui, there was about sixty more people that the Paradoxes regularly kept in touch with. A few of these people, about fifteen or so, were members of Daemon's Alley, and seven of these were even moderators.

Speaking of Daemon's Alley, the site had been taken out of Kakkhan and Menrui's hands. Midori and Keiko, the great avid fans, had insistently taken the demon shrine over when they saw how overloaded the Paradoxes were with other things, especially college. The Paradoxes had been reluctant, but they had seen the practical elements in their friends' arguments and let it go.

Menrui still contributed daemon art, and Kakkhan swung by every so often, but Midori, Keiko, and later on in year two, Hayley, Cairne, Kyō, and Yuki, were the main powers behind the scenes now.

Kakkhan did have to admit that the Alley was impressive. They had kept all the original attractions and had added more, such as the merchandise Midori and Keiko had begged so much for. Menrui, of course, had designed any and all images to be used on the merchandise, though font and messages were up to the Fiend's Core, as the six-member control team were calling themselves. It was a weird name, but the Tairyoku Twins were honorary members.

As the Tairyoku Twins grew older, their interest in girls increased as well. They weren't dating as of yet, as they didn't have the time, but they kept their eyes open. With the hundreds of girls their age falling heads over heels over them and forming fan clubs at schools, it was kind of hard not to.

Neither Menrui nor Kakkhan took advantage of their fame. It was actually really annoying to them, if you wish to be technical, but no one seemed to consider their feelings about it, so they simply went on with their lives as much as they were able.

It was still hard to do that when girls ran up to you every day to plead you to accept their feelings for you. Yes, it was very hard. Since the Paradoxes' friends (which funnily enough including the entire team of the Fiend's Core) knew of the exact feelings of the Paradoxes on this matter, however, the Blue Star City Gang was not torn apart by jealousy, but remained as tight as ever through it all.

The Z-senshi was doing very well. Bulma and Vegeta were still arguing every day, Trunks was still running around causing havoc with Goten, and Goku still ate Chichi's cooking. Krillin was happily married to a fully human Android Eighteen, now called Sayo, and they lived in Ina City, which was closer to Blue Star City than to West City.

Yamcha was enjoying his celebrity status as Hall of Fame baseball player now turned commentator in Coal Star City. Piccolo and Dende were still keeping guard on the Lookout with Mr. Popo, although Piccolo was still a frequent visitor to his waterfall near or on Mount Paoz. Tien and Chiaotzu were still skylarking about, this time in trying to help set free the oppressed citizens of the Orinement Mines. It was with fervor that Menrui followed their progress in the obscure Amsten Patriot's Gazette periodical, although Kakkhan was only mildly interested.

The humans were not the only beings that the Paradoxes kept in touch with, however. Rakael connected to their computer with hers every three months to keep them updated on the movements of the Kjordians, and to impart more tips on fighting them. She also gave them the current status of the Laniin front and the possible feelings the Laniins and the fosterlings would have when Kakkhan showed up.

Kakkhan had to admit that Rakael was right; he was either going to be given the utmost respect or attempts to assassinate him would occur, but either way, he was going to be allowed to fight the Kjord pirates with them. The Laniins did understand loyalty to Giendon, after all. Whether they thought they needed his help or not, though, was still to be determined, even though Rakael _knew_ that Kakkhan was essential to helping them defeat the Kjordians.

The Paradoxes appreciated the sentiment.

This aside, Kakkhan and Menrui themselves had not changed much. They still lived at 351 Marguerite's Hope Street, they were obviously still going to their respective colleges, and they still owned Theron, their Great Dane. They still had their weekly **talks**, dealing with the deepest emotions and traumatic experiences. Some of these experiences lately dealt with the high school and junior-high school girls all following them around with hearts in their eyes.

The Paradoxes had found out, however, that Theron was an excellent watch- and warn-dog, as well as a superior judge of character, so he could warn his pets-masters if some unsavory girls were coming to their door or to interrupt them on their walks. More than once, the Paradoxes were able to escape being ambushed by a giggling gang of girls simply because Theron was with them. It only made their beloved Great Dane all the more precious to them, and they both let the dog know it.

But the Twins not only spoke of the girls, but also of the still-present issues they had lingering in their pasts. Kakkhan had finally started to open up about his Giendonese history, and Menrui was heavily involved in his own past before and with the Dark Androids. Even though the Brothers knew exactly what the other's past was, he kept silent if it was his past; it helped to talk about it a lot if your audience wasn't constantly interrupting you with his own memories of the same incident.

So it was through these talks that the bond the two Paradoxes shared steadily become deeper, so much so that they could tell what the other person was thinking without that person broadcasting it. It became a great source of delight for Kakkhan and Menrui to communicate only with looks and body language; no telepathy or words needed. The closest thing that could describe this delight was the saying, "Look, ma, no hands!"

Over three years, Kakkhan had grown a moderate amount of centimeters. He had hit his growth spurt at fourteen, which meant that he was only just starting the natural way of life. Being a Saiyan, he was actually starting early. So for the time being, he was only a few centimeters shorter than Menrui, whom had begun to shoot up a year earlier than he. Kakkhan was determined to catch up, although no one was calling either him or Menrui "shorty".

The Saiyan had fleshed out more, too, especially in the face and the hands. His hair was still black and falling over his eyes, though now he was always shaking his head to get the annoying spikes out of his eyes. The eyes themselves were also changed; like Kakkhan himself, they were showing emotions now, although the teenager could still slip rather dramatically into pure unemotion mode within the blink of an eye, thanks to his training. Menrui could now do the same, although he preferred not to.

Kakkhan still did nothing more than smirk or frown with just the corners of his mouth, but there were other signs that told the perceptive observer what he felt. There was a knit between his eyebrows when he was concerned; he hooded his eyes when he was feeling sarcastic, and a wicked gleam danced in his eyes when he was laughing inside.

The biggest change was that he could now somewhat stand friendly contact, such as the slinging of an arm around his shoulders, the clap of the back, and the smack on the shoulder, usually by a girl, for telling a bad joke. Kakkhan was well used to that last one, although he still had to remind himself to _let_ them do that and not twist the girls' arm up behind her back. Old habits die hard, he would always think afterwards. Just how hard, they never say.

Tairyoku Menrui, in the same period of time as Kakkhan, had also fleshed out. He had grown more self-confident as well, although there were times when he totally and completed relapsed back into his old habits. Such times usually didn't last long, but after the Akuma God's gift of emotional or mental fortitude given to the demi-Saiyan on his thirteenth birthday, such times also made Kakkhan raise an eyebrow.

The training that Menrui underwent everyday with Kakkhan kept his body toned and lithe; this also helped the demi-Saiyan feel good about himself. The situation with the girls, though, made him self-conscious, which was why it was a recurring subject at those Emotion Sessions, as he called them.

Menrui also hadn't changed his hairstyle, but he had obtained for himself a pair of plain-glass glasses (while ignoring the odd looks the ophthalmologist kept giving him). It helped him separate himself from Kakkhan, as well as made him appear weaker physically; a trait that the demi-Saiyan had decided was good for now.

The glasses kept the girls away at first glance; it was always the second glance that doomed him. It also made the guys overlook him, another commodity Menrui was grateful for. As was to be expected, the demi-Saiyan didn't like to fight, but would do it if he felt like he needed to. Like that one time with the little girl….

Just as Kakkhan's special talent was closing emotionally, Menrui's most prized hobby was still drawing. He drew everything in sight: the view from his window, the sea, the group of kids skateboarding in the park, Kakkhan; everything was a potential drawing. Menrui was even tossing an idea for drawing manga back and forth in his mind; it was not set in stone yet, but it was getting serious consideration.

Needless to say, Menrui had two whole crates stuffed with just sketchbooks all filled with spectacular drawings, and the fifteen-year-old carried another drawing pad with him everywhere. It was new, this pad; he had barely started it, and he was looking forward to the sight of those crisp clean pages stretching out before him as he opened the pad.

It was actually a little depressing to him when he reached the end of a sketchbook or drew near the end, because it was a constant reminder that he was coming to the end of another trove of memories and drawings into which he'd put his soul into. Every time he closed a book for the last time, he instantly felt detached from the images inside, like they were no longer a part of him. A real piece of him always cracked and wept at that feeling, but when he got a new sketchbook, the piece healed again and he was off once more to Drawing Dreamland.

Kakkhan, admittedly, was the same way with his books and writing. It was just as personal for him when he finished writing a piece of fiction or was writing on the last page of his blank-line journals. He mourned the books as he finished writing in them, then turned around and scribbled madly in a new journal minutes later. Of course, Kakkhan almost never published his works—well, he did once, but it was definitely _not_ under his own name—and **never** let anyone read any of his unfinished works. He let people read his "stuff" as he modestly referred to them, if they were finished, but only then.

It was a favorite pastime of Keiko, Hayley, and Tsubasa, not including Midori and Tomorī, to beg Kakkhan to show them his writing, but Kakkhan always refused; it became a ritual. It surprised no one when Kakkhan finally let the rest of the Blue Star Gang read his works; by the time he finished, everyone knew he finished. It was some ESP thing that went on that totally baffled Kakkhan, but when the BSG was done, then everyone else yelled for his or her copy. Kakkhan was always filled with resignation at these times.

Menrui had both no sympathy and empathy for him; everyone wished to see his drawings, too, and they would all sigh with envy. The only thing the Paradoxes could do was roll their eyes and live with it.

Three years passed in more or less this fashion. However, it was all rudely interrupted by a much-anticipated message from Rakael towards the end of the third year.

"They've come."

:-:-:-:

A/n: Well, that was short. And sweet. LOL. I hope you liked. I also hope the special characters that I put in there showed up. (Makes face) Blasted QuickEdit…. Anyhoo, I was hoping that this chapter would turn out to be more than five pages. It's six. (Grins) YAY! (Pumps fist in triumph) Usually, filler chapters are never more than five pages, so I'm happy. (Grins again) I haven't done one of these "interlude" chapters in a while. Not since "Chapter Seven: Tempus Fugit" of **Giendonese Saiyan Warrior**, I think. O.O That's…that's a long way to go without an interlude like that in a fic series like this. Hee…. I'm so proud of myself. (Smile)

…I'm sorry this is late, too. (Cowers) Why is this fic the always the slowest to be updated? WHY!

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SNEAK PREVIEW OF: Defending Giendon

Rakael smirked at the Saiyan before her. He had actually come on his word and helped them, helped them to save Giendon. For that she would always be in his debt, and she would not be the only one. All of Giendon was indebted to him, and it would be up to her to make sure that Kakkhan knew it.

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REVIEW RESPONSES:

All right, we have a new place for reviews now. Instead of **TheShadowPanther's** homepage, you're going to her LiveJournal community instead. Visit her bio for the link.

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Thanks to **supersas**, **supersaiyaman **(twice), **Fairy of Speed**, **Lucy Wood**,and **DBZ Chick1**!

So what do you guys think? It's a filler... Sorries, I don't have much to say. I'm tired... (It's nine o' clock in the morning, Panther! You shouldn't be so tired!)

_Hishi za cagarea!_

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN;** writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 08.20.05_


	9. Defending Giendon

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

:-:-:-:

Last time on **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**—

_Three years passed in more or less this fashion. However, it was all rudely interrupted by a much-anticipated message from Rakael towards the end of the third year. _

_"They've come." _

:-:-:-:

**Non-translated Laniin**

_**Translated Laniin**_

:-:-:-:

Chapter Nine: Defending Giendon

:-:-:-:

"All right, see you there," was all Kakkhan said to Rakael. The Laniin nodded and turned away from the computer, the video blog box deleting itself as her personal computer disconnected. Kakkhan swung around and charged up to the kitchen where his brother was eating.

"Come on, Ru, help me warm up! The Kjordians have finally attacked! This is the moment we've been waiting for!" Kakkhan announced.

Menrui acted straight away, simultaneously sliding up from the table and forking another morsel of his late lunch into his mouth. He raced after Kakkhan into the weapons room, swallowing his food and slipping his glasses into his shirt pocket as he did so. Once in the attic, the Paradoxes changed rapidly into their gis and flew at each other, Menrui landing the first punch.

'Are you going to come with me, Ru?' Kakkhan mentally asked his twin. He only got a punch in answer, which meant that Ru was thinking about it. Kakkhan deflected another kick and stayed silent as he attacked back, letting his brother think it over.

'I don't think so,' Menrui finally replied seven kicks and five punches later. 'Not physically, at any rate.'

Kakkhan seized the wrists of his twin and stopped Menrui from kicking him with his knees. He grinned at his brother, who smirked back, then the Paradoxes sprang apart from one another. They slid to a stop on either side of the room and simply looked at each other.

"Then you'd better start now, because I'm closing up as soon as I get my Giendonese things back on," Kakkhan warned Menrui aloud.

Menrui nodded, a sharp gesture, and sat down where he was. He closed his eyes in preparation to start meditating as Kakkhan located and changed speedily into a jet-black undershirt accompanied by a green gi and black boots. His tail poked out of the hole in the pants of his gi and wrapped again around his waist, serving as a living and breathing belt keeping the gi from going to pieces on him.

As Kakkhan was dressing, he felt Menrui slide by his fire barrier effortlessly and settle near the orb of light at Kakkhan's core, where he would be out of the way. Kakkhan mentally tossed a ribbon of darkness around his twin so that he wouldn't lose him. Returning to reality, Kakkhan used Shabo to melt into the shadows of the G-dome and ended up instead in his bedroom.

Instantly he trudged over to his nightstand, from which he retrieved his rank earrings, his tongue barbell, and his ki damper armband. He slipped these on and immediately felt both a sense of foreignness and nostalgia, two parts of him combating over the representation of the jewelry he wore for the first time in four years.

Forcing the two pieces of him to stop quarreling, Kakkhan drew these and the other parts of him inwards, folding them up and stacking them neatly into a crate-like trunk. He tugged in Menrui, too, and the orb of light, which went in docilely, for once. Kakkhan refused to deliberate why, but instead stood and started summoning bright electric-blue swords of presence and gleaming gold needles of ki to him.

As he did, Kakkhan felt his hair lift off of his forehead and spike up again, as it had when he'd left, and carefully fed some of the needles of ki he held in his hand back to the roots of his locks. The spikes thickened and stood straighter, stiffer, and gleefully defied gravity much as they had done for years. Kakkhan felt as if his head were on fire.

Nevertheless, from within his mind, Kakkhan reached out to the particles of air surrounding him and shoved them apart. A hole appeared before him, full of sparkling darkness, a whole into which Kakkhan glided, stepping into a warp that would take him across many kilometers of space to Giendon.

Without turning, Kakkhan allowed the air particles to drift together again, shutting the door floating in mid-air that he'd made, and strode forward. He bypassed the glittering bundles of light that lit up his Warphole without a second glance; they sped after and before him, illuminating the path in both directions should he need it.

Behind him, the Warphole stretched as a road of darkness; Kakkhan was going to be using this Warphole again to get back home, so he hadn't set it up to collapse after him, like he had in his travels through Time. Kakkhan himself walked steadily on, his footsteps making no sound on the metallic grid serving as the floor of his Warphole.

Outside of the Warphole, stars burned fiercely bright; asteroids and large chunks of rocks spun in slow circles around the fireballs, and comets and shooting stars whizzed by overhead to blast through the otherwise inky black skies that were commonly called "space". One even flared right through Kakkhan's Warphole; luckily, this had happened before, so the Saiyan's space transportation did not waver.

Through all of this, Kakkhan walked on, considering all of the information that Rakael, on her regular check-ups, had imparted to him. The Laniins were likely to be able to hold up under the first and second surges of Kjordians, but the third, fourth, and fifth waves would be more problematic for the Laniins. The gold-skinned race may even be forced to resort to using its more dangerous and more catastrophic war technology, although Nirvana would certainly try to use other resources before it came to that.

As such, the fosterling army would probably see a lot of combat before the day was over, although the precariously less-skilled would be held back and set to work helping the Ambulatory Crew scuttling everywhere. Rakael hadn't said anything more about the fosterling army, but Kakkhan knew what she wasn't saying: Balannon would definitely be on the field.

Thinking it over now, Kakkhan found that he didn't really feel anything about that. Balannon was Balannon; he was another fosterling and his ex-best friend. Whether the Laniin-raised Gorthan understood why Kakkhan had "deserted" or not, it didn't really matter. Nothing was ever going to convince Kakkhan to take up arms for the fosterling army again, for the Saiyan had tasted too much of Earthling life and customs for him to be able to go back to the life that he'd had for eighteen Giendonese years.

He'd been tainted too much by the friendly camaraderie that most Earthlings seemed to be in possession of to feel comfortable anymore in the cold, almost emotionless environment of the Laniins. Whether Balannon understood that, whether his Gorthan friend was able to overcome his hurt long enough to come to realize this, Kakkhan didn't care.

Or so he told himself. Deep inside that trunk that contained all of his feelings and all of the things that he was made of, Kakkhan knew that he did care. Right now, though, in this unemotional façade that he'd taken on, nothing mattered to him except the battle that was coming, was waiting, was itching for him to fight it.

Giendon would never be gladder to have Kakkhan than on that day.

:-:-:-:

On Giendon, the battlefield was chaos. Kakkhan looked around and saw nothing but Kjordians, the sea-green half-werewolf, half-spider creatures that habitually wielded spears and battle-axes. He glimpsed flashes of Laniins in their spandex armor, the colorful gis of the fosterlings, and even a few Mnemenots, but it was mostly Kjordians that dominated his field of vision.

Right then, Kakkhan was still in the Warphole, staking things out before he jumped into the fray, and so none of the creatures with werewolf tendencies from the torso up and spider bodies from the waist down had spotted him yet. That would change in about two seconds' time, as soon as Kakkhan spotted Rakael.

He saw her hacking and slashing with her Spirit Ax and a regular ax, both of them huge and supposedly unwieldy. All Laniins trained with axes, whether or not that weapon really suited their liking, and Rakael was no exception to this. It was with a look of dislike on her face that she swung the two weapons down on the head of a smallish Kjordian, felling it, and moved onto another. Kakkhan knew that she would rather fight with a bow, but it was not her choice what weapon to attack with, and so she was stuck.

Satisfied with the information that he been able to collect, Kakkhan disrupted the pattern of the air particles before him and stepped out of the twinkling shadows of his Warphole into the bright shield of the _Ahforshem _spaceship. This ship was the ship that stored all of the sodium nitrate needed to supply the Mnemenots, the _gerdanium_ that the Laniins needed to survive, and all the other elements that was required for the respiratory/survival necessities of the fosterlings. If this ship, the _Ahforshem_, was lost, so were the Laniins, and everything else with them.

It was a good move on the part of the Kjordians to start attacking the other ships before coming to this one.

Once Kakkhan's Warphole was safely closed up tight behind him, the Saiyan threw himself into the melee. He ran to the Kjordian closest to him on his left, thrusting a Spirit Blade out through his hand as he did, and stabbed it with the blue sword in his right hand. His left hand brought down a sword that was in actuality a solidified Spirit Blade, designed to rip the body of the enemy in half so that the assaulted spirit could not flee back to it. The Kjordian in front of him fluttered to pieces, although the Saiyan himself took no notice of that. He was already going on to the next werewolf spider, his practice of feeling no emotion enabling him to stay focused. He would dwell later on the gory details when he had the time.

The Saiyan quickly found himself surrounded by dozens and dozens of Kjordians. They all leapt forward at the same time, but Kakkhan was not fazed; he merely ducked low and allowed the spears and axes of his enemies impale each other. He brought the Spirit Blade up and chopped their souls into shreds. He poked the bodies of the Kjordians apart so that they would be marred, as well, without the weapons of the werewolf spiders in them, and raced over them to the next group.

More than once, Kakkhan speedily rescued a non-Kjordian about to go under, but he never stayed long enough for either the person to register that he was there or to see him fully. He knew what would happen if he was recognized in this place of chaos, and he wanted to stall that for as long as he could. Instead, he _whooshed_ all over the place; the countless hikes that he'd gone on with Menrui helping him tremendously. It let him help the Ambulatory Crew several times over the period of the fighting, in particular one Human girl who kept stumbling over the ripped bodies of Kjordians.

She never saw him, Kakkhan made sure of that, but he was sure that she was the one in training to assassinate him once the Laniins recovered from this ghastly war. She was only about six Earthling years old, but she already showed no fear or any signs of being sick as she doggedly followed the tall Laniin going everywhere.

Kakkhan didn't know what to think about that.

He didn't have time to think about that, either, for another ferocious batch of Kjordians was coming his way. He steeled himself for the initial attack, the killing stroke, and for the barrage of offensive moves afterwards as the Kjordian didn't instantly kill him. Steel met steel as the battle-ax clanged on Kakkhan's solidified Spirit Blade, but the Kjordian didn't pursue the line of strategy that its comrades had. Instead it just slid to the ground, its white eyes rolling up towards the sky, and Kakkhan was faced with a Laniin.

Rakael smirked at the Saiyan before her. He had actually come on his word and helped them, helped them to save Giendon. For that she would always be in his debt, and she would not be the only one. All of Giendon was indebted to him, and it would be up to her to make sure that Kakkhan knew it.

Looking down at him, she saw that she didn't need to after all. He knew; the knowledge was in his movements as he stared calmly back at her. Rakael realized that she was still pointing her axe at him and drew it back, allowing Kakkhan to stand once more. He did so in one fluid movement that the Laniin envied and nodded to her.

**Giboski**, he said politely to her in Laniin. Rakael grinned again, in surprise, and nodded back, **_Greetings_**.

Rakael pivoted her ax behind her just in time to intercept the attack of a particularly large werewolf spider and spun around, the movement pulling the ax out of range. She stuck her Spirit Ax in its side and yanked it out, simultaneously jabbing her real ax into its chest. The Kjordian fell, allowing Rakael to relax and turn around, just in time to see Kakkhan execute perfectly the most difficult-looking move she had ever seen. Another Kjordian fell, its spider-legs twitching madly as its white eyes glazed over and the spear fell from its limp hands.

Kakkhan looked up at her and raised an eyebrow at her stunned look. **_What?_** he asked her abruptly. He kicked out at another Kjordian and sent it crashing into more of its comrades. The force behind his kick sent the whole group of Kjordians beyond the force field of the _Ahforshem_, where they lay in an unconscious bundle of hairy flesh and long limbs. He turned to Rakael again, still keeping his eyebrow raised, and waited for her answer.

**_I would never have been able to do what you just did to that Kjordian behind you_**, Rakael said, raising her eyebrow in return. Kakkhan shrugged, then jumped as more werewolf spiders lunged in for the kill. Rakael sprang forward and struck the spiders with her weapons, while Kakkhan kicked in mid-air the spiders behind her. He split their heads open with his sword and chucked their souls out of their corporeal bodies with his Blade, sending them on their way to Otherworld.

**Ufishka!** Rakael cursed as a spider sneak-attacked her. She paid it back with interest shortly thereafter, but it didn't matter, for three more spiders took its place. **Ufishka**, she said again. **_Augghh, this is getting to be too much. _Eiranos_, do you remember that attack that you and your friend Balannon were so fond of doing? The—the combination Spirit attack?_**she asked desperately. There was no answer behind her except the sound of footsteps moving hastily away, and Rakael was left all alone.

No, not all alone; a ki barrier swept two seconds later in front of her, repelling an attack by one of the Kjord-sei pirates. Rakael grinned inwardly again, relieved, and charged with renewed vigor, glad that Kakkhan Eiranos Janden Son Gohan of the planets Giendon and Earth had kept his word and come when he was needed the most.

:-:-:-:

It was a while before Balannon looked up from fiercely and systematically grinding down on Kjordians to see what else was going on around him beside Kjordian bodies and fighters. He heard Aslib grunting with the exertion of tossing a big werewolf spider far away. He saw only more Kjordians. He felt Peta the Human passing behind him following Riqui the Laniin Ambulatory Healer. He smelled blood, the blood of more than seventeen races all around him, and sweat, too. He tasted the tang of exhaustion, fear, and determination in the air.

All of a sudden, Balannon wanted to curl into a ball and bawl. He didn't want to be here, fighting all of these werewolf spiders. He wanted to be inside the _Tiara_ with Iyo, tapping out half-hearted letters to all of his "acquaintances", and sparring or arguing with Iyo to let out his frustration, the frustration and the pain that he'd been carrying around for eight Giendonese years.

He wanted Kakkhan.

He missed his Saiyan friend so much, the way that Kakkhan would always brighten up a room with just his presence, the way that he always ended up laughing at something or other when Kakkhan was around. He missed the _friendship_ that he had had, the knowledge that there was someone out there who cared enough to be his friend, to be there for him whenever he needed him. He missed just _knowing_ that Kakkhan was only a L-hall away from his own room (there was another person occupying that space now, but Balannon felt that something had died in that room, that a piece of its soul was gone forever). But now, he didn't have any of those things, and the pain of it was still as cutting as ever.

But now Balannon was starting to get fed up with that pain. He was still dwelling on the good old days, when everyone else, even Janden, had moved on. Wasn't it time that he did the same? Balannon gripped his Spirit Genesis kernel and threw it at yet another Kjordian, calling it back so that it could hit the stupid **yizgoshlein **approaching him from the southwest, over his left shoulder.

Why _had _Kakkhan left Giendon? His Saiyan friend had been one of the most loyal ever to be found amongst the ranks of the fosterlings; what had made him change his mind? Balannon had asked himself these questions over and over again during the past eight-G years, but this time was different.

He was asking them not out of grief and pain (well, he was, but there was something else added to it), but out of a genuine need to know. What had affected Kakkhan so much that he would forsake his home and his title as Elite (although Kakkhan had never cared about that), and everything he'd ever known for a life on Earth?

If he survived this battle, he was determined to find out the answers for once and for all. He was not going to sit back and wonder and cry like some air-headed Gorthan. He was going to go out into the world and do things for himself, like he should have done a long time ago. Iyo was always encouraging him to do that, anyway, but Balannon had never cared enough to do it before. Now he would.

Actually, now he was going to hit that Kjordian about to cut down Aslib with his Spirit Genesis.

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Peta the Human was a very determined sort of girl. Her real name was Jeraldina, but like all fosterlings, she had picked her own name and was stuck now with her one-year-old self's creativity. She was well-respected as a warrior of Giendon, especially with her Laniin sensei being Rufloric, the great vanquisher of the dastardly General Fihorn of the Kjordians. It was also for her own abilities, despite her smallish stature, that she had earned the three silver earrings in her right ear, although she was due for a gold one in her left any time now. Peta was also renowned for her stubbornness, something that she wasn't yet sure was a good or bad thing.

Yet in spite of all this, the Human wasn't out on the field to fight. No, she thought bitterly, she was ordered to follow Riqui the eccentric and stuffy Laniin Ambulatory Healer around, helping him to either heal the warriors on the field or help him say the rites of death. The former had been more numerous than the latter, thankfully, but Peta still chafed at the task set before her.

Still, it _was_ better than being inside one of the ships and not being allowed to fight, like Peta's Iogoroth friends Joqui and Floqui ("joh-quee", "flow-quee"). They couldn't land a blow to save their lives, but that didn't mean that they didn't try.

Suddenly Peta felt it again: the _swoosh_ of air that sent her short bleached-brown hair swirling; this was the third time. She looked behind her but saw nothing; she didn't count the slowly tumbling half-body of the Kjordian behind her as anything. This, too, was also the third time this had happened; she squinted wildly for the person whom had rescued her yet again, but she didn't find him or her, as usual.

Scowling, Peta turned back to Riqui ("ri-kee"), only to find that she had been left behind. With a yelp, she scrambled again over and around werewolf spider bodies to catch up with the tall Laniin. She was aided when Riqui bent down to check the pulse of another fosterling; without looking at her, Riqui reached a thirteen-fingered hand out and plucked a roll of bandage tape out of her arms. The Human knew then that Riqui had known exactly where she was, and she felt a little foolish.

Trailing after the Laniin (he had banished the fallen warrior with his green magic), Peta's thoughts returned to the _swoosh_ of air. Why wouldn't whatever was causing the _swoosh_ show itself? Peta both wanted to thank it and tell it that she _could_ fight for herself, thank you very much.

She couldn't help but think that it must be an Ultimate Elite Warrior, worthy of the gold and silver alloy earring in the left earlobe. Who else would be so fast as to only be marked by a hard breeze of air as he or she passed you by? However, Peta thought that she knew all of the fosterling fighters with that earring, and they had all been deployed to other ships where Kjordians had been striking first. Perhaps one or more of them had quelled the fighting at the other ships and had come here? She reasoned that that must be so. There was still something bothering her, though...

Riqui's voice closed the floodgates on her thoughts, however. With another exasperated inner sigh, Peta carefully stepped forward to offer the Laniin the bundles in her arms.

:-:-:-:

Nirvana watched sadly as the battle between the Laniins, the fosterlings, and the Mnemenots, and the Kjordians raged out before her. She was not allowed to fight, as she was the Headmistress, but there was surely more that she could do besides stand by and watch her people, all three armies, fight and die? She knew there was not, but she refused to stop deluding herself, even as a voice sounding rather like Yuin the Human yelled at her to do just that.

She shook her head and looked away from the window. She could not bear this anymore; she was going to have to do something to end the battle quickly, and soon. What could she use? She had a variety of things that would do the job, even if they did have some ethical and moral repercussions. She sighed, thinking that she would deal with that headache later, and started running down her list of objects to end this battle quickly.

Finally, she chose one, and sent for a Laniin messenger.

:-:-:-:

Janden grimly waded through the bodies of the werewolf spiders lying everywhere. He was heading for the hangar of _Ahforshem_, knocking down all of the Kjordians in his way, to tell the pilots to let loose the **bittumê**.

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Translations

**Giboski**—greetings/hello/hi/hey/yo

**Ufishka**—_("Do you really want to know this one?"—SP)_

**Yizgoshlein**—_("Well, what do you know? Balannon is using the same word for the same derogatory term! What a coincidence!"—SP)_ See Chapter Six for the meaning of this word.

**Bittumê**—_("Not telling! I bet that you can at least guess what it is, since I'm so nice." :D—SP)_

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A/n: Sorries for not updating for so long! Eek! (Hides under desk) I'm so very sorry... I hope that this update makes up for it, despite the fact that it ends in a cliffie. :P (Comes out from under desk) Er, yeah. Heh! (Sweatdrops) OK. I'm going to be going to school in about TWO days, so expect me to be very busy. I'll try and update this weekend, but we don't know... Yes.

Has anybody read the rapidly updated Sanitas et Insania? That's my new work. It's a block-reliever for this fic and Vigi Ange. I suggest that you read it, even if you don't particularly think that the idea of an insane Gohan is appealing. It's actually quite fun, or so my reviewers keep telling me. (Shrugs)

I've got nothing else to say, except that I dun wanna take any SATs... (Sobs)

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SNEAK PREVIEW OF: Total Extermination

Kakkhan twirled his new weapon around and cut with it into yet another Kjord pirate. Yanking the weapon out, he kicked the spider down and whirled to stop another spider's advance. He conjured another Spirit Blade and ran through both the new Kjordian and the one jumping around crazily on the ground. Leaping over the heads of more lumbering his way, he blasted them all with a ki wave and spend on towards Balannon. Along the way she slashed in half another Kjordian, preventing a spider from killing that burdensome Human girl for the third time.

:-:-:-:

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_Updated 09.05.05_


	10. Total Extermination

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter **

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

:-:-:-:

Last time on **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**—

_Janden grimly waded through the bodies of the werewolf spiders lying everywhere. He was heading for the hangar of the _Ahforshem_, knocking down all of the Kjordians in his way, to tell the pilots to let loose the **bittumê**. _

:-:-:-:

**Non-translated Laniin**

_**Translated Laniin**_

:-:-:-:

Chapter Ten: Total Extermination

:-:-:-:

Balannon ducked under a swinging wide spider-leg attack from a Kjordian and jabbed into its underbelly a second later. The werewolf spider died with a shriek that went unheard, for the Gorthan was already deflecting the attack of another Kjordian. He had finished off the one that was about to pounce on Aslib and had received the fighting master's thanks. He looked around and suddenly saw Janden the Laniin streaking across Kjordian bodies in the direction of the ship. His face was set and grim, as if he didn't want to do this, and his stride was hurried, giving Balannon a very bad feeling.

Cautiously, Balannon touched Janden's mind. What he saw sent him reeling back. The **bittumê**! Were they really going to release that supernova-powered nerve gas? If they did, then not only were Kjordians going to die, so would everyone else on the field! This was unacceptable.

Balannon started forward, but a funny feeling told him to duck, which he did. A spear sailed over his head and stuck fast into the ground before him, giving him an idea. First, he had to get rid of the Kjordian that had thrown it, however.

Turning back, the Gorthan saw that Janden was within range of the bridge of the _Ahforshem_. Lunging forward, Balannon snatched up the spear and heaved it forward with a surge of energy. The spear soared into the air, but Balannon was unable to see where it landed, for another werewolf spider had gotten up the temerity to engage him in mortal combat.

Unbeknownst to the Gorthan, a certain Saiyan had sent out a wave of ki. This wave had cleaved clear through four bodies of Kjordians and sailed on to intercept Janden. Kakkhan, too, had seen Janden in such a tearing hurry, and had also figured out that the Laniin was carrying orders dealing with the supply of **bittumê**. So he had sent out a rolling energy wave and had sent it to Janden, but making sure it would cut through the ranks of Kjordians in front of him, so that he killed two birds with one stone. The ki hit Janden in the knees, tripping the Laniin and temporarily disabling him so that he couldn't walk. Hopefully by the time the Ambulatory Crew got to him, the battle would be over.

A Kjordian spear stabbed into the ground just by Janden's head. Kakkhan didn't hesitate; he picked the heavy weapon up and walloped Janden hard over the head with the butt, knocking him unconscious from behind. The Laniin would be safe from the Kjordians, for the werewolf spiders couldn't see very well; thus they only attacked things that moved. Everything else was nothing to be concerned about, to their loss.

Kakkhan twirled the new weapon around and cut with it into yet another Kjord pirate. Yanking the weapon free, he kicked the spider down and whirled to stop another spider's advance. He conjured another Spirit Blade and ran both the new Kjordian and the one jumping around crazily, with it. Leaping over the heads of more lumbering his way, he blasted them all with a ki wave and sped on towards Balannon. Along the way he slashed in half another Kjordian, preventing a spider from killing that burdensome Human girl for the third time.

The Human looked around wildly for him, but Kakkhan ignored her and charged on. Finally, he reached Balannon and felled two Kjord invaders about to converge on him. As the Gorthan killed two others, Kakkhan stepped to his side.

**_Balannon!_** the Saiyan panted. The Gorthan swung to him, pounding a Kjordian back, and stilled as he saw Kakkhan. His mouth dropped open, but the Saiyan didn't allow him to speak. **_Balannon, we have to join together and be a team. We have to use the Genesis Blade!_**

:-:-:-:

When Balannon saw Kakkhan fighting beside him, a look of concentrated _nothingness_ on his face, all time stopped. It was if the Kaios had heard his selfish wish and had granted it. The Saiyan's presence lit a fire within Balannon, one that had long lay dead and black, but was now burning mercilessly with no respite. It was literally as if a bright light had been turned on in an extremely dark room, pitch-black, and Balannon welcomed the familiar feeling with as much whole-hearted relief.

_**Balannon**, _Kakkhan said again. He swung his Blade and his spear at a particularly impudent Kjordian, even as Balannon lashed out at more. **_We have to join together and be a team. We have to use the Genesis Blade!_**

There was a pause as both of the fighters crouched against a volley of Kjordian attacks. They beat them back, but more just came on, so Balannon put a hand out and created in a flash of light a Spirit Barrier, only to find that Kakkhan had done the same, the Saiyan using ki. The barriers melded together into one emerald green shield; both of the warriors flinched as a Kjordian crashed into it and obtained a severe electrocution for his efforts.

Another flash of light called the warriors' attention to behind them; the barrier had zapped five Kjordians at once. They were no longer moving, not even twitching, which meant that both the souls and the bodies of the spiders had been touched. Their barrier was a fantastic blend of ki and Spirit, using the heat and physical attacks of ki and borrowing the spiritual properties of Spirit to execute any opponents who dared to come near.

The warriors looked at each other, impressed.

Balannon grinned at Kakkhan, who seemed surprised by the gesture. **_You were saying about teamwork?_**

The surprised look persisted, then vanished as Kakkhan smirked back at him. Balannon's heart lifted at the warmly familiar sight, and the fire within blazed hotter.

**_I was, wasn't I?_** Kakkhan said, an eyebrow raising as he examined the green barrier again. **_How come we didn't make anything like that before? _**he asked, half to himself.

A cheerful shrug answered him, this and **_We were busy working on the Genesis Blade. We didn't really focus on anything else. _**

Balannon's grin had faded when Kakkhan looked back at him. The Saiyan nodded at his (former?) friend and turned away from the hybrid barrier.

**_Are you going to warn them, or shall I?_** Kakkhan asked as he positioned himself so that his back touched Balannon's. He discarded the spear in his left hand and pulled out a Spirit Blade instead, since Balannon was right-hand dominant. It helped that Kakkhan now felt more comfortable with his left hand than with his right, or this would be a little more complicated than it was already. This was something that neither of them needed, for it was already a risk that neither Kakkhan nor Balannon had done this move in a long time, as neither could do the attack without the other.

**_I'll do it_**, Balannon replied. Kakkhan, nodding, kept an eye on the emerald barrier as the Gorthan yelled telepathically to everyone on the planet,

'_**Everyone raise up your Spirit Shields! We're going to use the Genesis Blade!'**_

Kakkhan watched as all action stilled. He couldn't tell, but he thought that there seemed to be a moment of panic amongst the proper inhabitants of Giendon. Then he saw blue rings of light popping up everywhere, all of these creating walls between their protegees and their numerous enemies. Balannon relaxed behind him and watched and felt with the Saiyan as every Giendonese inhabitant all over the planet created Spirit Shields.

The Gorthan tensed up again as he remembered one critical thing.

**_What about the unconscious people? Iyo's over there!_** Balannon started to walk out of the emerald shield, but Kakkhan held him back.

**_It doesn't work on them, remember? This kind of Spirit attack only works on things that are conscious_**, Kakkhan reminded him. He let go as the Gorthan calmed and smiled sheepishly at the Saiyan.

**_Oh, yeah_**, Balannon responded, laughing at himself. Kakkhan simply shook his head and commented dryly, **_You haven't changed much, Bal_**.

The Gorthan's smile grew stronger at the mention of the nickname, but he said nothing as they placed themselves back-to-back again. The Saiyan and the Gorthan joined hands and stood straight, even as their Spirit weapons rest next to each other in their hands. Neither paid any attention to the humming sound that emanated from the Blade and the Genesis from being so close to each other; both of them were focused on the task.

With a snap, the emerald barrier exploded as the two warriors shouted in unison, their voices blending harmoniously together even now, **_GENESIS BLADE!_**

Pain surged through the heads of everyone within a three-kilometer radius of them as their **presence** skyrocketed. It was huge, oppressing everyone and pushing them down into the ground, the _pain _causing them to scream, scream for forgiveness, for mercy, for it to end their lives so that the pain would just _stop_...!

Balannon's eyes were white, completely white, and he was gasping. Kakkhan had **so** much Spirit power! It was so much tat he almost couldn't handle it in combination with his own; he felt like he was drowning in it, that it would over take him and leave him as nothing, not even as a shell of empty Gorthan flesh. The only thing that Balannon could do was to try to match it with his own power, to let loose the Spirit levels that he had never touched before, to try to rise above it all so that he could reconvene with Kakkhan, who was waiting for him...

And suddenly, he found that he could do, that he _was_ doing, just that. Blue fire shimmered, distorting the air, around the mismatched pair, the Saiyan and the Gorthan locked together in a deadly embrace. The Spirit Blade and Genesis in the pair's interlaced hands were positively shrieking now as they fused together into one. The Genesis snaked around the Blade and soldered itself onto the latter, making an implement of war that looked like a sword with a wingless dragon carved along the blade of the Blade. This was the Genesis Blade, and it had the capability of wiping out a whole race (or three armies) in one planet-covering blow.

This was the intention of both Balannon and Kakkhan, who were now both controlling the huge column of Spirit fire, their white eyes showing no indication that they were susceptible to mercy or remorse. The ones who looked upon them through the soul-searing pain, even the Kjordians (especially the Kjordians, as they were not able to summon Spirit Shields, even if they had been able to understand Balannon's warning) could only think that they were about to die.

It would be a welcome relief if that were so.

As both Kakkhan and Balannon were ready, it was time. Both opened their mouths and called, in voices totally unlike them, **_OBLITERATE!_**

An echoing _BANG_ was all the warning that anyone got, and then silence, as the Genesis Blade blew outwards. The column of light burst outwards, the sheer force of the energy streaking everywhere, stopping any sound. The only thing that was able to be registered was a ring of blue light so fast it appeared infinitely slow, that everything appeared to be infinitely slow. The Kjordians who came in contact with it were erased instantly; nothing they did prevented their demise.

The ones which had Spirit Shields had those Shields ripped violently out of their hands; they were knocked flat on their backs from the strength of the Spirit energy as easily as if they were toys being flung down. The Giendonese Warriors were robbed of their dynamism, as well, so they could do nothing but lie where they were and stare up at the light-blue light that was washing over them.

So it was in this way that the Genesis Blade swept over the entire planet, whether or not it was protected by a spaceship, and killed all of the Kjordians. A few of the Giendonese Warriors were killed, as well, although these were mostly the ones that didn't know about the Genesis Blade. A few did not believe that the Genesis Blade would be performed; fewer still did not get the telepathic message completely. Rerun, Kakkhan's first training master, was lost because of the last reason; he was one of two who did not get it and did not put up Spirit Shields. There were two who didn't get it but put up Spirit Shields anyway because that was what everyone else was doing.

However, these casualties were a small price to pay compared the bigger one that would have been extracted if the Genesis Blade had not been performed. The **bittumê** would have cost everyone who was out on the field, Giendonese Warriors and Kjordians alike, their lives, the deaths a ferocious tally ascending into the millions. Without either of the **bittumê** or the Genesis Blade, the situation would have been worse. The Kjordians would have completely eliminated the Mnemenots and the Laniins with the taking out of the _Ahforshem_ and, from there, would have been free to take over the planet.

Instead of two races being obliterated in a single day, and individual members of countless others, only one race was deleted, and nothing changed.

There are some debates going on about whether or not that is a good thing.

As the Genesis Blade Energy met itself on the far side of the planet, it created an aftershock wave that was nevertheless not harmful compared to its parent. The aftershock allowed Balannon and Kakkhan to go, leaving the two warriors to lean on each other to keep from collapsing.

**_Whew..._** Balannon sighed. **_We did it... after all_**.He was leaning completely on Kakkhan with no shame, all of his muscles feeling like they had turned to blue slimy goo. Kakkhan was a little better off, his hard three-years' training paying off yet again. In fact, the Saiyan was able to stand straight, as long as he allowed himself several moments to recover from being dizzy. Balannon's heavy weight did not help matters, but Kakkhan had never been one to complain when it really mattered.

**_Yes... thank Kami_**, Kakkhan responded, heaving a tired sigh. The breath flew upwards, blowing up with it small black spikes. The energy had again left Kakkhan's hair, and the Saiyan was too tired to do anything about it. But, on second thought... maybe he'd better.

Another sigh resulted in Kakkhan's hair flaring up again, although it was decidedly less defiant against gravitation than "normal" for a Saiyan. Kakkhan simply shrugged inwardly, sending a weary _whatever_ to the trunk at his core, from which Menrui was cautiously emerging. 'Come on out, Ru. You'll want to see this part.' The demi-Saiyan was then much less hesitant at coming out, though he refused to let out the shrieking orb of light with him.

'Thanks,' Kakkhan muttered to Menrui, whom merely sat down where he was and watched the trunk hop about insanely as the light orb trapped inside tried with all its might to get out. The crate was latched tightly shut, however, and Kakkhan paid it no heed.

He had something else to occupy his time.

**_Kakkhan? _**Balannon asked, swaying as he finally attempted to get up on his own (two?) feet. Kakkhan kept a hand on him for support, then lifted it as Balannon steadied himself. The Saiyan lifted his head to look the seven-foot tall alien in the eyes, and answered,

_**Yes?**_

Balannon rested a weighty hand on Kakkhan's shoulder as his world tilted again. His equilibrium still wasn't straight, but it was balanced enough for the Gorthan to inquire, **_Why did you leave? Four years ago? _**

Kakkhan, who had been expecting this question since before he arrived on Giendon, didn't answer until Balannon was stable again. **_If you still ask me that question, then you still do not understand_**, the Saiyan told his friend slowly. **_And I still cannot tell you_**.

Balannon, to Kakkhan's surprise, simply nodded. **_Right. There are some things that can't be explained unless they're already personally understood. I understand that_**, the Gorthan explained. **_Whoo_**, he said, as his equilibrium took a dive again. **Fwesti_, such ringing in my ears... _**

**_Language, Bal!_** Kakkhan scolded. He received a grin from Balannon, who was still cross-eyed at the moment, and held Balannon up again until his (former?) friend was upright.

**_Thanks, Khan_**, Balannon said. Menrui gave a twitch in Kakkhan's mind as he realized, for the first time, that he'd been calling Kakkhan what Balannon had named him. Kakkhan rolled his eyes internally at his brother's actions, as he had rolled his eyes externally many times at Balannon's.

**_So, will you be going home now? Or will you stay and talk to Headmistress Nirvana? _**Balannon continued, his quasi-emotionless mask sliding onto his face with a breath. The Saiyan looked at the Gorthan and shook his head. At which question, it was not said, but Balannon discerned what the gesture was for. **_Well, then, you'd better go now. They're coming towards us. _**

Kakkhan looked around and saw that, indeed, Laniins and fosterlings were striding in their direction, their pace slowed both by exhaustion and the Kjordian bodies lying everywhere still. As the bodies had been exorcised of their souls, they were no longer conscious, and therefore they had survived the Genesis Blade, Kakkhan realized. He looked back at the Gorthan, closed his eyes in farewell, and marched off in the other direction. Balannon called after him,

_**I'll be working on that leaving thing, you know! I'll find out why you left, so then you can tell me, all right?**_

Kakkhan looked back, his dark gaze betraying none of his feelings. Only his voice, as dry as ever, indicated his thoughts on Balannon's comment. **_Good luck. Knowing you, it'll be a couple of years, emotional as you are._**

Balannon was taken aback for as long as Kakkhan turned around again and took a single stride. Then he laughed, a whole-hearted laugh that started in his stomach and spread cozily throughout the rest of him. The fire within him reached up higher in commemoration of that laugh, the laugh that was ringing throughout the land of Giendon like never before for eight years.

Kakkhan the Saiyan only grinned, with Menrui the demi-Saiyan, inwardly.

:-:-:-:

Peta the Human was a very determined sort of girl. This resolve was what allowed her to easily draw up an extremely strong Spirit Shield upon Balannon-senpai's order, even though she had no idea what a "Genesis Blade" was. So it was a shock to her when her Shield crumpled easily in her hands and then blasted away. Her hands were left bleeding harshly and her thoughts were whirling around in her head as she reclined where she was, her head resting on the torso of a werewolf and her left leg propped up on the head of a fallen Wyrnth.

Her hands, though red and getting redder, were not what was foremost on Peta's mind. It was the impossibility of what had happened, that her Shield had just been tossed carelessly out of the way when it was one of the strongest in her rank. The Genesis Blade had been so strong, it had treated her like she was an ant with a leaf for protection. She didn't like the feeling, but she liked the idea of all that power...

She was _definitely_ going to learn how to do that move one day.

:-:-:-:

Nirvana was shocked; so shocked that she was sitting limply in a chair while staring out of the window. She had also accepted the message Balannon had sent her, even though the spaceship would not under any terms have let the blast through. But just the fact that she had seen it happen when the Gorthan had personally assured her that it couldn't be done without a certain "missing" ingredient...

She hadn't realized that Balannon had been talking about **Eiranos**.

Shaking, she reached out into the atmosphere before her with her mind and searched for signs of the Saiyan warrior's presence. His **presence** could not be found, nor could his ki. She searched harder, but she still could not find it. Even though all Giendonese warriors wore ki dampers and **presence** dampers, Nirvana was able to sense them. She couldn't sense Kakkhan at all.

It was not only this that puzzled Nirvana; it was how **Eiranos** had known to come to Giendon on this day. How had he known to come on this day and not the day before? Did he have inside help? She was almost certain that he must. It was not Balannon; the Gorthan had been stiff and not forthcoming on the subject of his best friend turned traitor, and Nirvana had seen the oceans of hurt that resided inside the thick body. It was not Janden or any of the other teachers either, although Aslib was doing suspiciously well since Kakkhan's disappearance. So it must be someone else who had known Kakkhan in his short reign at Giendon who let him know.

Therein rested the problem. Kakkhan was known by everyone on Giendon, and not just for resigning from the ranks of the _Tiara_ fosterling army. There had been much talk flying around about the Saiyan boy's spectacular abilities and vivacious charisma; his renowned sarcastic wit was not enough to put people off of him, as his bright laughs and caring personality had been more than enough to make up for it. As a result, there had been groups of people declaring that they'd actually _want_ to meet this **Eiranos** and see what he was like.

So she had to suspect _all_ of Giendon in this conspiracy.

Ah, but it was not a conspiracy if it was for the good of all, was it? She could not call it a conspiracy, but rather...

A revolution.

:-:-:-:

Janden turned out to have a very bad headache when he woke up. The Laniins on the Ambulatory Crew told him that he had been hit very hard over the head by a blunt object; the Laniin had retorted that they would have to rephrase that. He had been struck over the head by a _very_ blunt object. Heavy, too. But before that, he had been crippled by a ki wave of some sort (an injury that was surprisingly easy to heal, he was told, much to his chagrin), and felled two kilometers away from the bridge of the _Ahforshem_ with his dangerous news.

The Laniin had been _extremely_ surprised to find out that he had missed a spectacular show in the form of a Genesis Blade.

Like his Headmistress, the Laniin was confused about the matter. Didn't Balannon say that he could only do that attack with... _him_? He still flinched at actually saying the name. Since it had taken him two Giendonese years to get over it, helped by the fact that he simply didn't think about... _him_ anymore, the reaction surprised him. It also angered him. What was there to _flinch_ about when thinking about... _him_! The pregnant pause after the "about" made the Laniin get angrier, but at himself. Was he so weak that he couldn't steel himself just to say one word? As Janden thought about it, he had to admit to himself, **_Yes_**.

_He _still had his claws hooked tightly in the heart of Giendon; it would be a long time before they were able to boot him out.

_If_ they ever were able.

:-:-:-:

Translations:

**Fwesti**: (_"You should already know that this is a swearword, and thus I am not allowing myself to tell you what this means. You are allowed to use it in place of your own swearwords (:-D), but you don't know what they mean. Cheers!—SP)_

Senpai: Upperclassman, a form of address from a person to another person who is superior to the addresser.

:-:-:-:

A/n: Well, it looks like Giendon's still got some problems to work out! We've got a new OC who reminds me a LOT like Videl (**Salazarfalcon**: AAAH! THE SATAN SLUT! DO NOT TELL ME SHE SHOWS UP IN THIS STORY!). Sorry, Sal, but she does. (Cringes away from ranting Falcon) Hehe! Anyway, moving on.

We've got a Videl-reminiscent OC, a Balannon with hope for the future, Janden who's puzzled, and a suspicious Nirvana. We still have to see about Kakkhan and Menrui, but don't worry, that's next chapter on **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**! Don't you just love these pre-written chapters? (:D)

Apologies are needed, and explanations necessary. School is an absolute monster this year. I will probably only be able to write only sporadically, which is bad news for any fic of mine that has not already been completed. (Hangs head) Creativity is also not forthcoming at this point of my life, or motivation, which is equally as evil. Great. (Tiredly sarcastic) So forgive me, and I will try my best to update as humanly possible every Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. (Warning: Don't hold me to my word.) Thank you!

:-:-:-:

SNEAK PREVIEW OF: Trials and Tribulations (1)

When they reached Vegeta's G-dome, the Saiyan Prince tensed up for a fight. But Kakkhan only sat down on the ground Indian-style and pointed at the floor for Vegeta to do the same.

"Sit," he commanded. Vegeta didn't move; he was staring at Kakkhan with an expression mixing confusion and disgust together. Then—

:-:-:-:

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:-:-:-:

I know that there is absolutely nothing I would be able to do without **dfd **(twice), **Lucy Wood**, **DBZ Chick1**, and **wizardmon92**! Thank you!

**Garibishinoan**,

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN;** Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 09.18.05_


	11. Trials and Tribulations 1

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

:-:-:-:

Last time on **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**—

He_ still had his claws hooked tightly in the heart of Giendon; it would be a long time before they were able to boot him out. _

If _they ever were able._

:-:-:-:

Chapter Eleven: Trials and Tribulations (1)

:-:-:-:

**Laniin**

_**Laniin (translated)**_

:-:-:-:

"Kakkhan, are you okay?" Menrui asked, fifteen minutes later. Kakkhan was sitting, exhausted, but clean and fed. It had taken only three minutes for Kakkhan to gulp down a whole mount Everest of a serving of food. Then he'd taken a short bath, dressed in his usual clothing (consisting of loose black trousers and a cut-off sleeve ebony shirt), and now sat at the kitchen table again. Currently he had his head in his hands, the silver studs in his right ear the only things showing any life.

"Yeah," Kakkhan grunted. He looked up at the sound of a cup hitting wood and smiled affectionately at his favorite mug. He accepted the tea that Menrui poured into it and took a gentle sip of the soothing substance.

"Thanks," Kakkhan said. Menrui nodded. After he set the kettle back onto the stove, he slid into the seat opposite Kakkhan and rested his head on entwined fingers. Kakkhan knew that he was waiting for him to spill his emotions after the fight at Giendon. He wasn't quite ready to do that just yet, but that didn't matter; Menrui would still wait.

Taking another minute to compose himself, Kakkhan finally sighed and decided to let out his feelings.

"It was weird being back on Giendon. The familiarity of the place, of the people… at the same time, it was so strange. It didn't help any that there were people I didn't recognize amidst it all, and that I felt out of place. I wasn't so close to the people I was fighting with anymore, and so the camaraderie that I usually felt even in the middle of battle was gone."

The Saiyan, shifted, sighed again. "But then Rakael was there, and I felt such relief to see a friendly countenance, to know that there was one being on the field whom would stand with me. It was almost overwhelming."

"And yet through it all you remained purely unemotional," Menrui quipped. Kakkhan flicked him a brief glance and nodded.

"Yes. The emotions I felt then were locked away with you. It's only in remembering what happened that I know what I felt," he agreed. He continued, "Then Rakael told me to find Balannon and release the Genesis Blade. I almost had a heart attack at her suggestion, but I took it and went off in search of my ex-best friend. Along the way, I met, or rather saw, Janden."

Kakkhan paused. He didn't appear to be feeling anything too serious, but Menrui was not fooled. There was chaos within his brother now, so much chaos. Still, he stayed silent. It was up to his brother to work this out.

At length, the Saiyan resumed his talk. "So many feelings ran rampant through me at the sight of Janden. First up was panic. Did he see me? Rapidly following was suspicion. The Laniin had a look I didn't like, so I peeked into his mind. Horror filled me, as well a strong determination to stop him before he could get to the _Ahforshem_. So I disabled him, temporarily. I kind of felt a passing regret upon doing so, but not enough to stop me from knocking him unconscious."

A short silence ensued. Then, "Now I realize that Janden has no power over me anymore. None of the Laniins do. I knew that before, but I kind of forgot it in the last four years. It was clear to me that I was free when I left four years ago, but the feeling was quickly lost in the shuffle of living on Earth. Now it's back."

The Paradox ceased speaking again, but opened his mouth before long thereafter. "And now. Now, Janden is my equal. He holds no power over me, like I said. Perhaps even I'm more of his equal than he is mine. Perhaps."

A wry smile decorated Kakkhan's face. "Perhaps nothing. I am stronger than he is, and have been for a long time. Jeez, with that psychology class you keep talking to me about, you would think that I'd have reasoned this out years ago, eh?" he joked.

Menrui grinned in answer.

"Yes. And now we get to Balannon. He shocked me with his reaction. I thought that Bal would be giving me the cold shoulder after I hurt him so badly. But no, he's grinning at me, and it's like nothing ever happened. The feeling of ease that I used to have with almost all of Giendon? I still had it with Bal. It was most strange. I had resigned myself to being shunned by all quarters, so to have this sliver of warmth from the most precious person to me…. It seemed too good to be true." Kakkhan stopped.

"I can remember," he said slowly, half to himself, "when we were working on the Genesis Blade. Bal and I had just successfully pulled off the fusion of the Blade and the Genesis and the release of all of the power. We destroyed Iyo's G-dome and the G-dome next to it in the process," he chuckled again, causing Menrui to smile once more. If Kakkhan's sarcasm was still around, then his brother was at least partially all right.

"Yes, we had some shocked people to deal with," Kakkhan, reminiscing, shook his head. "Huh. Well, anyway, we were trying to figure out a way to unleash the energy without so much drain on us, the users. We had figured out that a command, a single word or phrase, would do, but we were going to let the programming of that order until later, when he had agreed upon the word to use."

A memory floated into Menrui's head across their link from Kakkhan's side. The hybrid let it unfold in front of his eyes, even as Kakkhan continued speaking, so lost was he in the memory itself.

**Hey Kakkhan, what do you think of this?**_ Bal's voice said. Kakkhan turned and looked at the piece of rice paper that the Gorthan thrust at him. It was a rough sketch of two figures standing back to back, their faces obscured by wild spikes of blue fire. It was obviously a sketch of the Genesis Blade in action, although how Balannon had been able to draw it like this from the outside—_

**S'ranju drew it,**_ Balannon supplied, watching Kakkhan with a hint of a grin. Kakkhan raised an eyebrow and huffed. _

**Good. I was afraid _you'd_ drawn it,**_ he retorted. Balannon guffawed, his expectation of a sarcastic comment rightly fulfilled. _**Still, it does look cool, doesn't it?**_ Kakkhan added, examining the picture once more. Balannon nodded and retrieved the sketch. _

**Shall I thank S'ranju for it? **_Balannon asked, turning to his lift. To the right of the two males was a smoking ruin of a wall, which only showed the blackened remains of another wall farther away from them. The Genesis Blade had cut through the far wall of their G-dome and of the G-dome next to them, providing a clear view not only into the G-dome beside them but of the one beside _that_ one. _

**Later,**_ Kakkhan responded. _**We're supposed to be thinking up a word or phrase of command now. How's "obliterate?"**

**Why don't we just say "just blow up everyone and everything in a twenty-kilometer radius?"**_ Balannon suggested, gesturing dramatically. _

_Kakkhan stared at his friend blankly, then turned and muttered dryly, _**Yeah, "obliterate's" fine. **

_Balannon roared with laughter once more, throwing back his head and letting the chortles tumble out of him. He received some very strange looks from the people next door, but once they sat that it was Balannon whom was creating the noise, they left off. They did mutter, albeit good-naturedly, that Kakkhan must be up to his usual tricks. Balannon wouldn't laugh like that otherwise. _

_Kakkhan only eyed him balefully before he, too, permitted a smile to crack his defenses. He bent over his ledger and wrote the word "obliterate" next to the phrase "Word of Command," which was itself under the title of "GENESIS BLADE" scrawled in Balannon's handwriting. _

The memory faded as Kakkhan stated with a laugh, "Of course, Iyo yelled at us and banished us from his G-dome from that day on, but since said G-dome had just been destroyed, there was really no point to that action, yes?" The Saiyan shrugged. "He let us in anyway, though. He had to, since Balannon was his student, and I was Bal's friend. I apologized, but Iyo just brushed it off."

Menrui watched the reminiscent smile reappear on Kakkhan's face. "Those were the good old days," the latter said softly. "Ah, but that doesn't mean I want you falling into a sudden depression because I said that, Ru," the Saiyan declared suddenly, turning to glare fiercely at the hybrid. Menrui's eyes widened and blinked as he processed the unexpected transition from past to present. His expression brightened briefly as he adjusted, even as he protested, "Oh! I wasn't thinking about that."

"Good," Kakkhan asserted, his eyes still narrowed. "And if I had my way, you never would," he challenged. Menrui sweatdropped as he cowered under Kakkhan's ferocity, and life returned to normal.

Well, as normal as life could get.

:-:-:-:

Now that the Giendon danger was out of the way, the Tairyoku Twins could relax. They couldn't entirely do so, for there was still an assassin being trained for Kakkhan's demise (as Rakael reminded them when she popped up two weeks after the skirmish). But they could certainly ease up more now that the heavy-duty task was finished. After all, just because a child was practicing in killing him was no reason for Kakkhan to give up life. The fact that Kakkhan was immortal seemed to have no impact on the Paradoxes' reasoning.

In reality, it was in the back of Kakkhan's head, where it lurked smugly whenever the assailant topic cropped up. The Saiyan reminded himself not to let the concept swell his head, and he kept a sharp alert for it, but it was a wicked secret burning in him whenever he spoke with Rakael.

To drive off the arrogance that threatened to creep up on him, Kakkhan kept up the rigorous training he'd started with Menrui three years ago. It wasn't hard to do, however; it had become habit for them to push each other to their limits. It took very little effort for them to keep up the high level of training; it was actually an enjoyable exercise for them now, now that it didn't have such a demanding ultimatum attached to it.

As he had promised himself, Kakkhan set up a schedule at the University of Blue Star City to help him pursue his Bachelor's Degree of Arts. He didn't have a stringent timetable for it yet, since he still had to get his Master's Degree in Computer Science, but it would keep him busy, just the way he liked it.

Since the Paradoxes hadn't visited Capsule in a while, they decided to pop over there for a short visit. They brought their Playstation Controllers with them, for the eight-year-old demi-Saiyan terrors known as Trunks and Goten would likely try to coerce them into playing video games with them.

As usual, Bulma buzzed at them over the intercom. _"Well! If it isn't the two busiest people on Earth! Come on in, I don't want to take up too much of your valuable time,"_ she teased. Kakkhan just rolled his eyes, but it was Menrui who retorted.

"Instead wasting _yours_, eh, Bulma?" he confronted.

The intercom chuckled. _"True, true. Well, come on! I want to see how much you've grown in the months since we last saw you," _it scolded. The Paradoxes rolled their eyes in unison, sharing their mutual feelings of exasperation as they resignedly prepared themselves for another "fawning assembly."

The fawning assembly converged upon them as soon as they stood right outside the doors, before they even stepped into Capsule itself. Menrui reflected that if it weren't for the two facts that they knew Chichi and Bulma and that Chi and Bulma were grown women, the Paradoxes would think the girls of Blue Star City were mobbing them again. But really, they were just being squeezed to death by two girls of West City instead. Were they ever going to get away from this?

"Oh, Menrui, how cute you've gotten!" Chichi crowed suddenly, brining Menrui out of his despairing thoughts. It was only to more despair that he woke up to, however, as Chichi tweaked his nose. Fighting down a groan, the Saiyan squirmed out the effusive mother's grasp and ran after Kakkhan into the next room.

Here they encountered Vegeta, whom was giving Trunks the evil eye. Goten was giggling in the corner, ignoring the robots that bypassed him in return.

As one, the Tairyoku Twins sighed and shook their heads. Their loud breaths caused all three figures to stop and look up, surprised looks on their faces. Five people blinked at each other; silence prevailed. Then mass pandemonium began.

"All right!" Trunks screeched, whereas Goten simply raced towards them. Vegeta wasn't going to be ignored so wantonly, however; he grabbed his son by the collar just as Trunks was preparing to charge. Trunks, startled, almost choked; Vegeta just brought him eye to eye with his father. Nevertheless, the Saiyan Prince shifted his grip so that Trunks could breathe, even as he continued to give him the stinkeye.

Kakkhan, holding Goten, only sighed. Menrui looked over at him, a wry smile on his face as he put away his frames. The twins shared significant glances before Menrui held an arm out for Goten. The youngest demi-Saiyan transferred his affection from Kakkhan to Menrui without difficulty, enabling Kakkhan to execute an idea that he'd had stewing in his mind for a while. It had been stewing since he'd gotten a very exasperated and fed-up email from Bulma three years ago.

"Vegeta," the Saiyan said, distracting the Prince. Vegeta's hold didn't waver, though, although Trunks put up a fine effort to try and escape. "You and I have some business to take care of."

Finally Trunks wrenched free. He dropped to the floor and dashed after the other Paradox and Goten, whom had already fled the scene which was filling up with tension.

Neither of the two fighters left in the room spared him a glance.

"Oh, yeah?" Vegeta growled, his face relaxing from its screwed-up visage into a sadistic smirk. "You think you can hit me?"

Kakkhan didn't respond. He merely turned on his heel and left. Vegeta stamped after him, his still-simmering anger evident in the tick that pulsed on his forehead.

When they reached Vegeta's G-dome, the Saiyan Prince tensed up for a fight. But Kakkhan only sat down on the ground Indian-style and pointed at the floor for Vegeta to do the same.

"Sit," he commanded. Vegeta didn't move; he was staring at Kakkhan with an expression mixing confusion and disgust together. Then—

"Why should I?" Vegeta yelled, stomping over to the fifteen-year-old Saiyan and grabbing him by the collar. "Why. Should. I?" he snarled again into Kakkhan's impassive face.

With a jerk and a strong shove, Kakkhan freed himself and thrust Vegeta down to the floor in one move. Only then did he answer conversationally, "Because I am going to teach you how to control that anger of yours. It's not doing anyone any good, least of all you.

"Did you ever wonder why Kakkarot keeps surpassing you? It's because he's not angry all the time. As such, when he _does_ get angry, his rage has more of a punch and it elevates him to a higher level of strength.

"I am going to teach you how to do that so that you can experience the same thing. It's probably going to take a while, so this means that I do not, I repeat, do _not_ want you to get frustrated when you don't get something the way you want it the first time you try it.

"We'll end every sitting with a brief spar to boost your morale, but I am telling you now, if you don't practice the methods I am about to show you, we'll be here for a lot longer than we can be. Understand?"

Kakkhan looked over at Vegeta, whom seemed to currently be incapable of speech, and smirked. "Right, then, let's get on with it. First, meditation, but of a different sort than what you're used to. Instead of falling into your center, you're going to concentrate on your breathing and your breathing only. The pattern will go like this…"

:-:-:-:

The spar ended up lasting longer than the meditation, but Kakkhan was pleased with the start. It was true that he was going to be busier than ever, but the Saiyan liked activity. If he had to sit still, he wouldn't last long before moving and/or falling into meditation himself. He preferred doing things rather than being indolent, although torpor would sometimes overtake him if he didn't particularly feel like doing anything. Even then, his brain was busily clacking away, his eyes roving restlessly over the houses across the street.

So it was the case with him at that very moment. His computer was resting in his lap, hissing contentedly as it downloaded the PC video game that Tomorī wanted to play with him. But Kakkhan was thinking about what he should write for his term paper for the University of BSC; the "training" with Vegeta had completely vacated his head to make room for more important things.

All of a sudden, the laptop on Kakkhan's legs chirped, signaling the end of the download. The Saiyan looked down at the laptop just as it gave a stronger beep, causing its owner to frown. Abigail wasn't supposed to do that….

In fact, it was another message from Rakael, this time in text only. It was not a particularly long message, but it told Kakkhan plenty.

_Eiranos, _

_We are done cleaning up. _

_Now begin the trials. _

_Jamila_

:-:-:-:

A/n: Eeks. Poor Kakkhan…

:-:-:-:

SNEAK PREVIEW:

Kakkhan only showed his surprise by raising an eyebrow. To attach his name to the already respectful title **sinaren** conveyed Semsai's heightened awe of him. Perhaps this would not entirely be bad.

:-:-:-:

REVIEW RESPONSES:

Please visit **TheShadowPanther**'s bio and find the link to her livejournal community for this section.

:-:-:-:

Thanks to my reviewers: **dfd**, **DBZ Chick1**, and **wizardmon92**. Arigatou for the kind words of inspiration! I hope you're still willing to hang around here. (Winces)

_Hishi za cagarea_,

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN;** Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 10.28.05_


	12. Trials and Tribulations 2

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter **

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

(Warning: Chapter length is twice as long as normal_ —SP_)

:-:-:-:

Last time on **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**—

_In fact, it was another message from Rakael, this time in text only. It was not a particularly long message, but it told Kakkhan plenty. _

Eiranos,

We are done cleaning up.

Now begin the trials.

Jamila

:-:-:-:

**Laniin**

_**Laniin (Translated)**_

**Wyrnth**

—Iogoroth—

:Raelin:

_(Qwithi) _

**/Gorthan/**

:-:-:-:

Chapter Twelve: Trials and Tribulations (2)

:-:-:-:

**Moni ochi gavrel zasky**, Kakkhan greeted, his black eyes distant as he gazed upon Semsai, the Wyrnth spokesperson for the Board of Races.

The creature resembling a winged boa constrictor ducked his head in return and sang, **Moni ochi gavrel sinaren**. The Wyrnth straightened and slithered backwards so that Kakkhan saw all of him.

The spokesperson was small for a Wyrnth, uncoiling at a height of only one hundred and sixty-four centimeters. Most Wyrnths were taller, reaching an average height of two hundred and seventy four centimeters; indeed, there seemed to be many whom were taller than even that.

The wings that folded back at Semsai's back were just as scaly as the rest of him; obviously they were not meant for flying. Despite the revelation, the wings still had skin flaps slightly reminiscent of feathers, though the edges were too sharp to be called such.

For Semsai, the skin and scale colors were very unique, especially for a male. The red skin background and the pinker scales normally, though seen rarely, would be glimpsed on a female. Never before had a male Wyrnth sported these colors, and never before had a male Wyrnth been a runecaster.

**Az tamin soraL machu**, the Wyrnth continued, spreading his wings in further expression, **nomor vach camorre xinthat morno wizatzkin. **

Kakkhan inclined his head in acknowledgement of the courteous, yet warning, assertion.

**Az tamin sorvrel machu**, he responded in kind, flinging his own arms wide to declare his continued politeness and good will towards Semsai. The lizard shook his wings, approving of Kakkhan's actions, and tucked them neatly into his back once more.

Switching to Laniin, Semsai rattled in a gurgling voice, **_Thou hast grown much since lasst I sawth thee, Eiranos, and in many ways. _**

**_I am honored that you would say such so bluntly to my face, Semsai Master_**, the Saiyan replied.

Semsai dipped his head once more. **_Thou knowst the custom of silence amongst my race, _sinaren_. It is most ausspicious thou dost_**, he commented. Kakkhan said nothing, only fixed his black gaze upon the winged snake. The runecaster shifted (was it with discomfort?), then hacked in undulating tones.

**_Let us move on,_** he said, **_to the heart of the matter. Thou hasst resigned from the fossterling army, branding thyself as a traitor, and yet thou hasst helped us in our time of dire need. For this, I thanketh thee, as I yet tell thee it pressents the Board of Races with a quandary. Dosst thou undersstand?_**

_**I do, Semsai Master.**_

**_Gooooood_**, Semsai drawled, stringing out the word. **_Then tell me what thou wasst thinking when th' performed such a deed. Wasst it that we wouldst be forever at thy mercy, such that we would forget thy abominable actions? No? Th' art sharking thine head. But thou dosst know that function could be done? Thou couldst erase thy black mark if thou wisheth; we would gladly accept thee back into our ranks of Giendonese warriors... _**

But Kakkhan refused still. **_Yes, Semsai Master. I know that my honor and reputation have been restored unto me because of my decision. It as not for that that I fought, however. _**

_**The concept that Giendon was in danger from another race was what contracted my heart so. I could not bear it, and would endlessly berate myself as a coward if I had not helped. It was only the desire to see my home safe that prompted me to enter your presence once more when under different circumstances I would not. As such, I am also willing to endure the consequences of such a brazen presumption, and rest humbly at your mercy. **_

For the second time, Semsai shook out his wings enthusiastically, his approbation for Kakkhan obviously on a rise. **_Well said, _sinaren**_** well said. **_The Wyrnth's catlike turquoise eyes narrowed suddenly, however. **_There art still some objects of controversy remaining, young one. We have covered the broad picture of my issue, now we concern ourselves with the specifics. Dosst thou remember incapacitating a certain Laniin round the knees as he sought asylum at the _Ahforshem_? If thou sayeth no, then I will retract my words and beg thy pardon. Sayeth yes, and thou wilt explain thyself. _**

A wry smirk tugged at Kakkhan's mouth. He knew that more than one person watched his "trial;" not only was it the Board which was watching, but thousands of personal computers had turned in to the same frequency and awaited his words just as Semsai did. Kakkhan was not intimidated, however. He had not the intention of denying the truth, not when it was for such a momentous occasion as this. It was up to Semsai and the others of the Board to choose to accept his word, or denounce him.

**_Yes, Semsai Master, I disabled him_**, he pronounced. It was with a glare that he inhibited Semsai from bristling. **_I have a good reason; Janden the Laniin was carrying orders from Nirvana the Headmistress to let loose the bittumê. _**

In all of his time at Giendon, Kakkhan had seen nothing faze a Wyrnth, not even the frail runecasters. So it as a sight for him to witness when Semsai blanched, his red skin turning pink and his bright roseate scales coloring pearl-white. The pupils in Semsai's eyes contracted just so the slits could not be perceived any longer.

**_The bittumê? But to let loose the bittumê is a crime so great it cannot be forgiven! Thou liest, Eiranos! Tell me thou liest! _**he cried.

**_I don't lie, Semsai Master, _**the Saiyan declared quietly, calmly. **_I know the accusations I make are large, but they are not lies. I think that you had best talk to your Headmistress about this when you can spare the time. _**

The Saiyan knew that chaos was quite possibly frolicking about outside the light yellow walls of the blank interrogation room. After this, Kakkhan would not be surprised if Lady Nirvana were disposed from her position as Headmistress; and Janden forced into exile or some other horrendous punishment, although he had merely been the messenger. Such was the horror of the bittumê, with the power to wipe out several parallel galaxies present in a small bucket of the gelatinous liquid.

Of course, Kakkhan's revelation would ultimately be treated with more than a degree of doubt by many. It was a usual reaction to announcements of this magnitude. It was why he had suggested to the Wyrnth to speak to Headmistress Nirvana; as Headmistress, she was unable to leave the planet Giendon or Giendon's planetary system without the express permission of the Board. If she were willing to risk an escape, as she was undoubtedly thinking of, she would only incur the wrath of the Board, as well as confirming Kakkhan's "preposterous" accusations.

Returning to the screen, Kakkhan watched Semsai sway from side to side, a show of his distress. Fervently, he bowed fully to the computer screen sitting patiently before him. **_I thanketh thee more than ever for returning, Eiranos-_sinaren**.

Kakkhan only showed his surprise by raising an eyebrow. To attach his name to the already respectful title **sinaren** conveyed Semsai's heightened awe of him. Perhaps this would not entirely be bad.

Semsai straightened from the bow and turned to the door. **_I had in mind more questions for thee to enlighten me upon, but I believe I will ask my colleague to put them forth instead. Wilt thou give thy permission for me to do so, Eiranos-_sinaren_? It is a terrible inconvenience to you, of course... _**

**_I understand, Semsai Master. I will wait_**, Kakkhan informed the apologetic Wyrnth. **_You have my permission to leave. _**

He nodded his last farewell to Semsai as the lizard dropped into another short bow, turned, and slithered rapidly out. The rectangular sheet of metal serving indifferently as the door clanged audibly after the Master; shutting out the distinct yells and noises coming from without. Even with a computer screen, Kakkhan could discern the predicted chaos in those short seconds before silence collapsed upon the room again.

It was not long before the portal into the interrogation room sizzled open again. In came a bulky figure, sauntering in a stately way across the room. Clearly, the shaggy-haired monolith of an Iogoroth was the proctor taking over from Semsai for the rest of the "interrogation."

The Iogoroth, like most of his kin, was hulking, had disproportional muscular arms, and gangly hands. There was an unhealthy air of ignorance about him, as anyone perceived upon beholding an Iogoroth, but underneath that white hair gazed reddish-orange eyes with an awesome intelligence. Kakkhan was too used to the deceptive atmosphere and merely regarded the newcomer stoically.

—Mizzlac!— The Iogoroth barked, settling its five limbs into the chair that had just popped up. Kakkhan watched as the chair conformed to the physique of the old warrior. It was a comforting sight to Kakkhan, even as it reminded him painfully of the **cleaning**, when he had first seen the common occurrence happen.

**_My greetings to you, Riddloc Master. Do I find you better than when I last left you?_** He asked politely. 

The grizzled veteran eyed Kakkhan suspiciously. **_The recent last time you left us, or the perfidious time you left us? _**He questioned brusquely.

Kakkhan smiled slightly, deigning not to answer. Riddloc didn't seem to care, however, for he went on.

**_You say that the Headmistress ordered the discharge of the bittumê? _**He growled, one red-orange eye visible under the hair.

Impassively, the interrogated only replied, **_I believe that is what I told Semsai Master, Riddloc Master._**

**_Aye,_** Riddloc agreed, his orange eye glaring. **_I suppose that your answer is a polite way of reminding me that Semsai already asked you that question. Do you realize that if you are caught lying when you swore under oath, you will be hanged? _**He threatened, his shaggy hair trembling with his unsuccessful efforts at equanimity.

**_Indeed, Riddloc Master, _**Kakkhan acquiesced serenely. He knew as well as Riddloc did that his computer had been loaned a program to monitor his electromagnetic body waves in such a way that it would raise a giant fuss if it sensed he lied. However, it would be insolence to betray his knowledge about it now, anyhow, so he remained silent.

**_Hmm, _**Riddloc pursed his thick lips. He barraged forth with what was_ supposed_ to be Semsai's line of questioning, hoping to take the veiled Saiyan off guard.

**_By returning here, to this place, after tendering your resignation, you have violated all boundaries that prohibit you and keep us safe from you. We, as the upholders of these boundaries, may strike back at any time we wish for our retribution, as is our right. What do you have to say to _that_, youngster? _**Riddloc spat. He gained no pleasure from his revelations, for Kakkhan was staid.

**_I can only reply that I am wondering why you have no done so already, Riddloc Master, _**his quiet voice said. The Iogoroth narrowed his eyes, for there was something odd about the way he had phrased that answer. Did he know...? To confirm his suspicion, Riddloc put forth a query that was not in the original plan. **_What are you expecting us to do, Saiyan? You tell me: How are we going to strike back? _**

Kakkhan allowed a bemused smirk to cross his face. Riddloc was getting desperate. Blandly, knowing the computer would not create a din for the creative answer required of the question, Kakkhan asserted boldly:

**_I expect you to send two or three people to send a sleeping narcotic into my drink and drag me back to Giendon. There I will be beaten up, thrown into a bar cell, and locked up in _that_ place until I rot. This will take an exorbitant number of years, however, seeing as I am a Saiyan, after all. _**

Even Riddloc had to grin at the suggestion, though he quickly covered his slipup with a scowl. He grumbled for a while afterwards, but Kakkhan had seen the smile. He could relax, but only marginally.

**_Fine, _**Riddloc grouched. **_Let's move on. Semsai Master already went over your motive for returning, so next I move onto how. How did you know to return? You will not tell me it was a coincidence; you were prepared for a battle. We all saw you. _**

Kakkhan bowed his head. **_An excellent question, _**he complimented. **_It was _not_ a coincidence. As you probably know, Riddloc Master, I had telepathic links with my former colleagues at Giendon. When I defected—_**

Riddloc flinched at the brutal word of choice, but Kakkhan talked placidly on, as if speaking about the weather. **_I apparently didn't break them off as I should have—_**

Riddloc halted the flow of words with a two-fingered limb. **_All right, all right, you've explained yourself,_** the Iogoroth mumbled, still shaken from "defected." Inwardly, Kakkhan breathed a sigh of relief. The program would definitely have sounded off had he gone any further.

**_Very well. That is done_**, Riddloc said. Now for the next event. The red-orange eye caught Kakkhan in its gleam once more, the Iogoroth regaining his curt manner as he moved on. **_Peta the Human has much to thank you for, Eiranos. You seem to have rescued her from Kjordians no less than three times. For her, I extend gratitude, as she cannot be here for obvious reasons. _**

Now Kakkhan had to admit that he was surprised. Who was Peta the Human? He thrust the inquiry calmly to Riddloc. **_I do not know Peta the Human, _**he said, even as a mental image of a brown-haired girl carrying wraps and scissors floated into his mind. **_I did prevent the death of one field assistant several times over the course of the battle; is she the one of whom you speak? _**

**_Aye, _**Riddloc responded. He seemed to be particularly stiff now, enough that Kakkhan sensed he was not entirely used to dispensing with any kind of expression other than that of suspicion. Perhaps, also, the Iogoroth wanted to attend to another event, of more significance than the current topic.

However, the Saiyan also knew that Giendonese trials were processed in a specific pattern of interrogation, going from a negative event to a negative to a positive, and back again, so the warrior was stuck observing this formality. It was not merely in the disapproving air of the Iogoroth, which he had borne since he stepped in, but it was in the tense way that Riddloc now sat in his chair. It was in the muscle of the mouth that quivered slightly, and in the intense stare Riddloc leveled at him, challenging him.

**_Hmm, _**Kakkhan murmured. **_I thank you for your respect, Riddloc Master, and the respect offered on behalf of Peta the Human. _**Nods were shared across thousands of kilometers as Kakkhan and Riddloc bowed to another, the time-honored phrase of acceptance now having stumbled from Kakkhan's throat.

Riddloc, upon performing the loathsome duty, assumed a more comfortable air as he sat back again. Kakkhan outwardly showed no change of emotion, as he was wont to do, but he tensed inwardly, waiting for the new attack.

**_You were observed, _**growled Riddloc, **_to be battling with Rakael the Laniin in a specific pattern that you showed not with other warriors in that battle, with the exception of one. Tell me, have you been in contact with her at all during the past four Earthling years since you vacated these premises? I warn you, choose your answer with care. It will decide the course of this interrogation from here on out. _**

Riddloc sneered, obviously delighted with himself. _This_ was his forte, the sneaky manipulation of words to lure in a victim, shove pressure onto him, and then to snatch him up right when he made a mistake. It was this subtle foreplay that had fascinated Riddloc, hypnotizing him with its power, and which drove him to master it so as to use it upon others. Now, his efforts had failed so far with Kakkhan the Saiyan, as the Boy was too clever by far, but it was now that Riddloc was especially going to strike hard. Eiranos would not know what hit him.

The victim himself only gazed forward steadily. Not a twitch came out of the Boy; Riddloc had, gruffly, to give credit to him for his mental fortitude. However, there was a reason it was Riddloc who was questioning the Saiyan now, and not Semsai.

**_I have_**, Kakkhan replied, even as he read the thoughts of the transparent Iogoroth. **_Rakael-senpai was the one to contact me about the trials and the part I would play in them. _**He purposely used the title of "senpai" for Rakael, for he was sure that Riddloc was trying to get some maneuvering room here. Kakkhan was not about to let that happen. Besides, "senpai" referred some respect to Rakael; perhaps Riddloc would think that Kakkhan wasn't paying _him_ enough respect, and it would distract him.

Indeed, Riddloc's eyes narrowed, but he ignored the slight, implied or not, dealt to him by the silver-tongued Saiyan displayed before him. **_Indeed, we noted that. _**The Laniin _had_ been the one to officially announce to Kakkhan that he was on trial for his actions in the Kjordian predicament, although she had seemed rather grim about it. Hmm...

**_However, I do not believe that is an adequate answer. Did you or did you not meet with her to discuss anything of Giendonese origin that should not have been disclosed?_** Riddloc demanded.

With the question phrased like that, how else could Kakkhan answer? **_No, I did not_**, he boldly declared. He shocked the Iogoroth with his bluntness, but Kakkhan could justify the answer. **_She did not meet with me _**(in person) **_to reveal to me things that should not have been disclosed _**(after all, I _did_ need to know that an assassin was being sent after me)**_, and I express offense on her behalf and mine that you would offer such a hypothesis for analysis. I demand recompense on your part for your thoughtless query, and henceforth refuse to answer any more questions until you do so. _**

And so the Saiyan sat back and waited expectantly for the apology, looking at Riddloc with raised eyebrows. Riddloc, meanwhile, was frantically attempting to gather his thoughts. _What_ had just happened? He sensed that he had just been thoroughly thrashed, but how, and for what? He did not fully understand what was going on, but he knew that he had not succeeded. Wisely, he retreated.

**_Very well. I apologize for my brashness,_** he said. Kakkhan uncrossed his arms and replaced his hands on the keyboard of his computer, signaling his readiness once more, but Riddloc still hesitated. He had missed something of absolute importance... Hmm. The moment was over now. There was nothing he could do for the present moment.

**_For my final inquisition, youngster, _**Riddloc started, **_I focus on the Genesis Blade. _**He noticed dispassionately Kakkhan's flicker of anticipation and sneered. Eiranos was _not_ going to get any thanks from this quarter.

**_Whose idea was it?_** he levied superciliously.

Kakkhan looked at him and replied, **_Rakael the Laniin's_**. In those eyes was a blazing warning, but Riddloc knew that the Saiyan wouldn't be able to do anything, not from there. If he wished to pursue the matter against the Iogoroth, he would have to do so independently of the trial. Riddloc dared him to do so. If he did, the Iogoroth would rip and tear into the Saiyan and laugh mockingly as his pieces fluttered to the floor. This was personal.

The Iogoroth was opening his mouth to ask another question, when the door resounded like a gong behind him, and a Raelin skittered in.

The Raelin, like almost all Raelini, resembled in many aspects a praying mantis. Indeed, the resemblance was so strong, it was conjectured by many on Giendon that Raelini were merely praying mantises taken from Earth and genetically improved to be bigger, faster, and stronger, with a few other abilities built into them that mantises should really not have the ability to do. One of two important differences between the Raelini and the Earthling mantises, however, should be noted: Raelini had no eyes.

Where on a mantis two bulging many-faceted orbs were to be found, the Raelini did not. Indeed, the rough insect-like skin had folded neatly over the absent parts as if the Raelini had never had them. As it was unknown at the present moment where this race placed its origins, except to the Raelini themselves, this possibility could very well be so. It could be just a very odd coincidence that the Raelini bore such resemblance to the mantises of the Earth.

Kakkhan, in his early days at Giendon, had often wondered how the Raelini operated without eyes. He had taken a few days to ask Janden, mostly from a tendency of forgetting to do so, that question, and the Laniin's answer had been, truthfully, anticlimactic. The Raelini merely used their senses of hearing, smell, and taste, as well as another of those extraordinary abilities that no mantis had, to live, communicate, and so on. Kakkhan had been at first disappointed, but as he grew up, found that his fascination of this race did not decline with this small setback.

The second fundamental difference between Raelini and the Earthling mantis persisted less dramatically than the former. The Raelini did not profess to own those wickedly ugly pincers protruding from the face of the mantis; indeed, they did not even eat the same things. They did hunt small animals, but they possessed other ways to capture those mammals, digest them, and process their glucose.

:Timin bara cuwun, cuwun: the Raelin snapped as it came up to Riddloc. It jabbed the air angrily with one of its folded arms, threatening to hit the Iogoroth in the eye with it. :Fzyn nuik minxti rntshi vory: Riddloc scowled at his colleague and grumbled under his breath in Iogoroth, to which the Raelin repeated, :Fzyn nuik minxti rntshi vory:, but much more emphatically.

Kakkhan remained silent throughout the whole exchange. He told himself to calm down, release the rage Riddloc had begun to incite in him from his barrage of questions. The Board had seen that Riddloc was about to go too far and had immediately sent in the Raelin, which Kakkhan knew from previous experience was judged to be a male, and was scolding him in ridiculously polite terms. The scolding was normally not a situation of politeness, but in front of him and the whole Giendonese planet, it was transformed into such.

Now that the Raelin, called an unpronounceable name by his race but Geri-san by others, he said, pointing to the door. :Histre quinthosr govri utoriyi vaskar, cuwun, cuwun, wghtær saranthari hiji yuoxel layui poincarf! Oit!: Riddloc growled again, his chance for revenge thwarted, and slouched out of the door, a comical sight since his arms usually dragged on the floor anyway.

Turning to Kakkhan, Geri-san switched abruptly to Laniin. **_Sorry I am. Understand you must. Tense is Riddloc. Not good the war for him be._**

**_I understand, Geri-san Master,_** Kakkhan responded, his emotions trapped securely behind his mask. He suddenly grew aware of someone beside him, though by the way that someone was sitting, he had been there for quite some time. Kakkhan sent gratitude to Menrui through their link, all the while keeping his eyes on the Raelin.

**_Good that is. Talk I instead on the Genesis Blade. _**That declared, the Raelin looked over to the chair and lowed himself carefully onto it. As he did, the chair morphed once more, growing a tiny bit smaller so that the mantis-creature would have no difficulties.

**_Suggest Rakael the Laniin to you the Blade? _**Geri-san asked, but not as if he was going to continue Riddloc's line of interrogation. Kakkhan acquiesced, even as the Raelin nodded. **_Thanks be to her_**, he commented briefly. Kakkhan tilted his head in further agreement and simply awaited his barrage.

So it came. **_Told the Board of Races Balannon-san did, that needed was a certain ingredient. No longer found on Giendon that certain ingredient was; puzzling it be to us. Show not our records any decline in herbs, but talking about herbs he was not. Needed you he did, correct? _**

**_Indeed,_** Kakkhan replied. **_In fact, no one but Balannon-san and I can do the Blade, at least to my knowledge. You will have to talk to Balannon-san about that, however. _**

Geri-san dipped his head. **_Do that I will. Interesting it all be. Warned the world beforehand, which of you? _**

It took a little while for Kakkhan to realize what Geri-san wanted to know. He had not talked with a Raelin in a while, after all. **_Ah, it was Balannon-san who did that. I kept an eye on our barrier. _**

**_Barrier? _**Geri-san queried, showing signs of interest. How Kakkhan knew that, even the Saiyan did not know.

**_The barrier that Balannon and I had made_**, Kakkhan started, forgetting to use the honorific for his friend, **_using Spirit and ki, respectively. _**

Geri-san jerked his head back in surprise. **_Possible it is to barrier-create with those two? _**Incredulity made itself known in Geri-san's actions as he gestured with his folded arms and hooked hands. Kakkhan smiled slightly and bowed his head.

**_Indeed. Even Balannon-san and I didn't know until we made it,_** he related to the eager Raelin. **_My guess is that the two components must be cast at the same time without thinking, although without further research I can't be able to tell you for sure. _**

**_Interesting it all be!_** Geri-san cried, raising his arms. **_Glad I am this be recorded. Study it we will. _**

Kakkhan reacted in no way. It was to his disadvantage, slightly, that the computer and its untruth-program recorded this trial of sorts. It meant he had to watch more than ever what he did and didn't do; pressure was on him. Of course, pressure was upon his head anyway just by being tried, but Kakkhan felt keenly the former. As such, he could not revel with the Raelin at the fact.

**_For later that is, _**Geri-san reported after a few minutes of celebration. **_Keep talking now. Tell, did the Blade you two before? _**

**_Yes,_** Kakkhan responded. **_We blasted apart Iyo's G-dome and the Dome beside it with all of the power. Of course, we both had considerably more Spirit Power a few weeks ago than we did then, but it was still novel. Iyo was particularly mad at us._**

Geri-san's limbs rattled with amusement; Kakkhan smiled slightly once more. It was still funny when Kakkhan thought of it, although it hadn't been then. At least, not as much as now. **_Imagine I can the reaction of Iogoroth_**, Geri-san said only, before he moved on.

**_Talk you with Balannon-san some, then walk off. Personal is it, to ask what said? _**The last proctor inquired. Kakkhan was glad that he did; he was given the courtesy of declining that question.

**_Indeed it was, Geri-san Master. Thank you for your courtesy_**, the Paradox responded. Both avoided making references to Riddloc, newly departed, but both knew what the other was thinking. Geri-san shifted in his seat, acknowledging the thanks, and went on.

**_Next,_** he said. **_Imagine I cannot why stay you do not, explain yourself not. Recounted you your tale, yes, but now, not then. Why? _**

Kakkhan drew a breath. This is Geri-san, not Riddloc, so no overly suspicious thoughts would be offered on account of his answer. Still, this was going to be tricky.

**_I did not stay, Geri-san Master, because I had been through an ordeal. It was hard for me, to see Giendon and its inhabitants, and know that I was no longer accepted among their ranks. I also did not trust Headmistress Nirvana; she had ordered the bittumê after all._**

**_But most of all, I did not think that I would have been treated fairly by the Giendonese out to retrieve me. My trial would have been farcical; the population would have been angry with me. I felt that if the residents of Giendon were to have time to calm down, I would be treated with more parity. I believe my fear was reasonable; a traitor returning to Giendon is practically unheard of._**

Geri-san gave a short nod in agreement with Kakkhan's statement. Encouraged, the Saiyan went on.

**_It was not through a fear of the consequences that I ran away, however, if that is what most people were thinking. I am not that sort of person; any of my former associates can tell you that,_** Kakkhan narrated. He fell silent at a gesture of Geri-san's, a signal that told him that his answer had covered the basics.

**_Pleased I am to know feelings still with you are_**, Geri-san commented. **_Battling showed not your feelings. Strange it was._**

Surprised, Kakkhan questioned, **_How so, Geri-san Master?_**

Amused, the Raelin glanced at him. Feeling sheepish, Kakkhan settled back in his seat and prepared for another question. He did not expect the Raelin to answer his scrutiny, however.

**_Bright you usually are,_** Geri-san mused, **_and of smiles full. In battle, not so. Unsettling, 'tis._**

Kakkhan could only blink at the mantis-creature. He did not fully understand why it was so strange that he wasn't smiling in battle; war was not a fun game. However, Geri-san did not elaborate, instead pushing onwards.

**_Stronger you became, and old, too._** Kakkhan, choosing to go along with the flow, returned to his earlier frame of mind with a snort. Geri-san rattled again in amusement, even as he investigated, **_Past four years train you, even without Giendonese tools?_**

**_Yes,_** Kakkhan told, a little surprised. Why shouldn't he train without Giendonese tools? It wasn't hard. It was then that the thought occurred to him that perhaps Geri-san was trying to throw him off with his questions. His mind went over the past few questions with this mentality, but the Saiyan could not find any evidence of this reasoning. Still...

**_Dedicated you are, then. Student of mine does not the same,_** Geri-san remarked. Kakkhan merely raised an eyebrow, alert for any ulterior motives, even as he berated himself for letting his guard down. Just because that horrible Riddloc had departed didn't mean the war was over. The fact that Kakkhan was still there, being interrogated, was proof of that.

**_Know you that you many people admire_**? The Raelin asked, surprising Kakkhan once more. Was that really the case? Kakkhan controlled himself and replied in the negative. **_Admiration they have, indeed. Spread reputation of yours throughout all of Giendon; talk of you common. Tell the people who knew you to those who didn't; declarations everywhere of support of you._**

**_Why tell me this, Geri-san Master? This is hardly a statement one would normally make to a person on trial,_** the Earthling-born Saiyan reminded the Raelin. Amusement was in every note of the Raelin's answer, however, when he spoke.

**_Angry be population not; wrong be assumption of yours,_** he said. **_Popular is reception of you back at Giendon, if opportunity you take._**

To say that Kakkhan was shaken would be an understatement. "Blown away" would describe it better, as would "flattened", "flabbergasted", and "speechless". The expression on his face showed almost none of this, however; only a slight raise of his eyebrows betrayed any of his emotions. Truly, his guard was down.

Geri-san seemed to have missed the tell-tale sign, however, as he went right on with the conversation. He spoke some more of how a select few fosterlings looked up to Kakkhan and his valued accomplishments, even to the point that Geri-san was worried that they, too, might revolt.

That would not be good for the future of Giendon, the mantis-creature admitted, as the fosterlings were priceless in their importance to the Laniins. Kakkhan recovered listening to this, although he could feel Menrui beside him thinking hard on this. He sent a brief, 'Don't you consider trying to convince me to go back to Giendon, Ru. It won't work,' to his brother to deter him from falling into depression again. Menrui only shot back indignantly, 'Of course not!', even as Geri-san resumed his line of questioning.

These questions, however, were not of the intensity or the profound quality of the inquests before them. The trial was winding down, to both of the Paradoxes' relief.

Finally, Geri-san declared, **_All I have for you, Eiranos-san. Thanked you are for your time. Scrutinizing this I am with my colleagues. Notify you we will when done._**

**_And the external arguments, Geri-san Master? Will I see those? _**Kakkhan asked. That part of the trial particularly interested him, as witnesses would be lashed with inquests as he had just now; Rakael the Laniin would most likely have to defend herself against a conspiracy theory thanks to Riddloc's paranoia, unless of course she had already been tried for her part in directing Kakkhan towards Balannon for the Genesis Blade.

Kakkhan reflected that that was not likely.

**_Send a copy of it we will,_** he promised as he rose up from the single chair. He bowed, pulling his arms in back to their customary folded position, and waited as Kakkhan did the same.

When Kakkhan sank back into his seat, Geri-san reached out with a single clawed finger towards his side of the screen, which promptly turned dark. The Saiyan sat back as his desktop logo appeared two seconds later, crossed his arms, and contemplated the trial.

:-:-:-:-:

Translations:

**Moni ochi gavrel**: It is too good to sight you

**Zasky**: Master

**Sinaren**: swënling (a respectful title for a non-runecaster and non-Wyrnth)

**Az tamin soraL machu**: Pleasure overflows in me to hold you here

**Nomor vach camorre xinthat morno wizatzkin**: In the place of your upbringing and your trial before fire

**Az tamin sorvrel machu, zasky**: Pleasure overflows in me to be held here, Master

—Mizzlac!—: I've got you in my salutary sights! (Greetings!)

:Timin bara cuwun, cuwun: Ashamed I am of you child, child!

:Fzyn nuik minxti rntshi vory: Being unprofessional you are in the utmost sense!

:Histre quinthosr govri utoriyi vaskar, cuwun, cuwun, wghtær saranthari hiji yuoxel layui poincarf! Oit!: Volunteered I have the case to take over from you, child, child, so yourself take outside and your behavior clean right on up! Scoot!

:-:-:-:

A/n: Wow. That was really hard to write. Hehehe... (Wiped out)

All right, I have to tell this you now. I have so many ideas for this particular phase of Kakkhan's life that I may have to extend this fic beyond twenty-four chapters or else make the next fic deviate drastically from the plans that I originally had for it. I think I'll be doing the latter, since I don't want to extend this fic, but I still have this nagging sense of, oh, I don't know what to call it. I just don't want to spill over into the third fic from the second fic, that's all. (Shrugs) We'll just have to see.

And yes, Yoda was a big inspiration for the Raelin language. In fact, he _is_ the Raelin language. Me no own.

:-:-:-:

SNEAK PREVIEW OF: The Citron Speaks

"The County Playhouse," she answered, finally. She was bent over with her hands placed on her knees for support, her longish hair falling in a tumble towards the earth. Kakkhan frowned again: He wasn't familiar with the County Playhouse.

:-:-:-:

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Thanks to: **ShadowObscurity**, **DBZ Chick1**, **Lucy Wood**, and **dfd** for excellent, excellent reviews! It's getting little tough to go on without humongous review levels each and every chapter, but it's really a pleasure knowing that there are _some_ people are willing to stick around! Thank you! (Bows)

**Garibishinoan**,

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN;** Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 11.26.05/Edited 10.17.05_


	13. The Citron Speaks

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

_Chapter Warnings: Angst, Abnormal Chapter Length_

:-:-:-:

Previously on **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**—

_When Kakkhan sank back into his seat, Geri-san reached out with a single clawed finger towards his side of the screen, which promptly turned dark. The Saiyan sat back as his desktop logo appeared two seconds later, crossed his arms, and contemplated the trial._

:-:-:-:

**Laniin**, not translated

**_Laniin_**, translated

:-:-:-:

Chapter Thirteen: The Citron Speaks

:-:-:-:

The Saiyan received the external arguments a week later. They were extensive; witness after witness stepped up and elaborated on what they saw and felt about the events surrounding the Genesis Blade. Guided by the questions directed at them, witnesses usually managed to give off a general vibe of either hostility, confusion, or friendliness toward Kakkhan. There were few of the hostile persons, a majority of the confused, and more than a few of the allies.

As expected, Rakael was indeed called up for her defense against collusion with Kakkhan. The Laniin, it was apparent from the beginning, had prepared diligently for this moment; she came in with a bang and went out the same way. Nothing fazed her in between the entrance and the exit, not even perhaps the rumblings of a riot from the few antagonistic beings Kakkhan had already noted before. Indeed, Rakael rather was able to dismiss the undercurrent easily. Perhaps it was her strong conviction that Giendon had needed Kakkhan that enabled her to do this.

It was a good question to ponder.

Of some note was the girl that the Dark Paradox had saved three times in a row. As Riddloc had mentioned, she was called Peta. She had that same look of determination on her face that had plastered itself on her face before; Kakkhan thought that was foreboding. If and when she was the assassin (and the immortal had no doubts about that), then that determination would see her very far, especially if it were to her death.

Kakkhan had no intention of dying any time soon. His fierceness was helped by his immortality, a possession which also leant him pity towards his opponent. She would never know what hit her.

Nor would anyone else bent upon his destruction, either. Lotto would see to that if his imperishability didn't.

Nevertheless, Kakkhan sensed that Peta was going to cause trouble. He could see, in that disingenuous look of hers, that she was up to something. He could only hope that it wasn't _too_ large. Who knew what would happen? He certainly didn't.

Perhaps he'd better talk to Rakael about Peta next time.

Other than that, the external arguments merely dragged on and on. Janden was allowed to come, as was Nirvana, although they were closely watched. They would be dealt with once the time had come.

Balannon also appeared. His interrogators were mostly interested in how he had misled them (a theory that made Kakkhan snort derisively) when asked about the Genesis Blade. If he had come straight out and told the Board that he needed Eiranos to create that particular technique, there would have been none of this bittumê mishap. In an act that made Kakkhan outrageously proud, the Gorthan responded to these claims by pointing out that Kakkhan's friendship was still, even after eight years, a sore spot with him. He was recovering now, thank you, and he would very much appreciate it if the inquisitors would move on.

Aslib, Rerun, Iyo, Riqui the Ambulatory Healer, and scores of other people that Kakkhan knew gave their own testimonies. The Saiyan was shocked by how each one of these beings had aged beyond comprehension in eight Giendonese years, faster than he thought possible. He rationalized that the stress of fighting the Kjordians for a number of years had taken an impossible toll, but he didn't much believe himself. They had had wars before, and none of his teachers had looked like this.

Or had they? Kakkhan couldn't remember. He told himself that he shouldn't expect to remember, though, as he _had _been extremely young upon his presentation at the _Tiara_. However, the Laniins couldn't yet touch him where he was. They had still to try other creatures for war crimes, namely the unconscious Kjordians that had not been killed by either the Genesis Blade or battle wounds. More than a few of these had died from the latter, but the majority was awake and able to move about thanks to the Ambulatory Crew.

Not only that, but Giendon's economy still suffered from the war efforts. The planet had attained a large debt in the years its inhabitants fought the Kjordians. As such, the trade confederation it was a part of had decided to set an embargo against the planet until the debts were paid in full.

This was hardly good news for Giendon, as very little of Giendon's trade consisted of its own products. Either the Laniins would have to find a way to build Giendon's self-sufficiency and boost its economy, or they would have to find another planet to inhabit. Giendon would be given over to the Confederation of the Ellorian Planets, which would then find a race within the alliance abler to afford habitation of the planet and its economy.

The assassin would most likely be expected to help out with all of this, especially since Kakkhan himself had been able to explain his motivations. Perhaps there wouldn't be an assassin at all.

As soon as Kakkhan thought that, he dismissed it. The hope was invalid, not to mention deceptive. There was no way that the Laniins would give up on him. Whether or not the majority believed his story, there was most certainly within Giendon a group which would secretly plot his demise. Whether that group used the original executioner or not, it didn't matter. Kakkhan would always be on somebody's hit list.

The Saiyan sighed. He did not regret leaving Giendon in any way, but he did think at times that he should have avoided all of this and returned to Giendon. These thoughts were always followed by arguments from the other side of him, which said that Menrui was better of where he was at the moment than in the past. Goten and Trunks also seemed to benefit from his company.

Heck, _all_ of the Z-senshi appeared to like his presence. He lastly could not omit in Blue Star City the scores of people he was friendly with. Many of them regarded Kakkhan almost like a brother. Goodness knew they certainly treated like on, coming to him with their troubles, their peculiar idiosyncrasies, and even out of a desire to just chat. Kakkhan dealt with all of these persons with his equal mix of sarcasm, wit, genuine concern, charm, and almost weary tolerance.

Usually, these thoughts managed to tease Kakkhan out of the clouded mood the Saiyan fell into. but now Kakkhan had to wonder. Did _Kakkhan_ become better due to the presence of _everybody else_? It was a good question. Kakkhan therefore paid it the necessary and proper energy it was due.

After a time, Kakkhan had to conclude that yes, he had. He had changed along with his friends. Some of those changes Kakkhan could have done without, such as an unwillingness to turn anybody away if they had a problem. Some changes were good in Kakkhan's opinion. The ability to receive friendly contact without striking the friend gave Kakkhan pride in himself.

The click of the front door broke him out of his reverie. He glanced up at Hayley looking timorously around the door. Raising his eyebrows, he beckoned her in; his friend wouldn't come in and tell him whatever was up otherwise.

But Hayley shook her head. "Tomorī…and the others want you and Ru to come out and play now," she muttered, her voice low. Kakkhan snorted. "Is that verbatim?" he asked, knowing the answer already from the look on her face. Nevertheless, Hayley nodded, quickly, as if afraid that he would shout at her. He shook his head again.

Turning, Kakkhan closed his eyes to find Ru's ki. Frowning, he opened them once more and swung back to the girl cringing behind his door. "Weird," he commented, striding toward her, "Ru's outside already." Hayley didn't question his declaration, but backed away from the doorway as Kakkhan came near.

Locking the door quickly, the Saiyan then hopped down the steps and set off. He called to the lagging Hayley, "I'll see you at the usual place!"

"But we're not meeting there!" she shouted back. Kakkhan halted his march and waited for the short, skinny, grass-haired female with braces to catch up. Once she did, wheezing, he allowed to capture her breath after asking, "Where, then?"

"The County Playhouse," she answered, finally. She was bent over with her hands placed on her knees for support, her longish hair falling in a tumble towards the earth. Kakkhan frowned again: He wasn't familiar with the County Playhouse.

"I don't know where that is," he replied, even as he searched out the energies of "the others". He had barely found them on the outskirts of town when Hayley replied:

"It's my neighborhood." She avoided his eyes as she told this, instead looking down at the ground. Kakkhan knew why, but didn't mention it. Instead he pushed on.

"All right. Since you knew where to go," he averred decisively, "and I don't, we'll do this: We'll find my brother together, and then you'll lead us to the Playhouse. Sound good?"

Hayley, looking surprised that Kakkhan would ask her opinion, only shook her head yes. Kakkhan nodded back and sauntered off again, but at a slower pace so his friend could keep up.

They found Menrui in a drawing studio ten blocks away to the left and three long blocks up from Marguerite's Hope, on Soldier's March Road. The Tairyoku was painting, a deep look of concentration caressing his features such that Kakkhan loathed to interrupt him. So seemed Hayley, for she hung back as soon as she saw Menrui. Kakkhan looked back at her and lifted an eyebrow; Hayley flushed a stagnant scarlet and cast her eyes away once more.

Rolling his eyes, Kakkhan returned to Menrui. "Ru," he stated, positioning a longish finger on his brother's shoulder. Menrui jumped, dropping his paintbrush in his flail, and looked sharply up at the Saiyan. "Oh!" he breathed, grasping his chest, "I didn't feel you come in!"

"Obviously," Kakkhan retorted, keeping one eye on Hayley. Menrui followed his discreet gaze and flashed a smile at her in greeting. She smiled back, her blue braces skipping into sight before they ducked behind her lips again.

Now that Menrui knew that there were other people in the room, Hayley wasn't quite as shy. She came forth as Kakkhan announced, "We're going to the County Playhouse, where the rest of the Gang is. You're required to come."

Menrui looked at his brother blankly. Hayley had to bite back a laugh, but giggles escaped anyway as Menrui gestured helplessly to his painting and then to the doors. Neither Tairyoku seemed to pay the girl any attention, however. Kakkhan merely declared, instead, "Well, are you ready?"

"No!" Menrui finally protested. "I'm almost done! The owner of this studio won't allow me to keep my painting here, either, so I have to finish it!" he whined pathetically to Hayley's doubled laughter. This time both Twins sneaked her a glance, but they both as quickly snapped back to their charade.

"Well, too bad. You'll have to take it with us." Kakkhan folded his arms over his chest and tapped his foot. Menrui scrambled up, mock astonished, and only managed to splutter:

"Kakkhan!" It's—it's eight miles to the County Playhouse! I'm not able to carry the painting that far! And it's still wet! I—I can't—"

Kakkhan leaned over and plucked the canvas off of the easel. "_I_ can carry it that far. Now come on, time's a' wastin'. Let's go!" He pivoted on his heel, the canvas towering precariously over him, and tramped right out the door.

Menrui stared after Kakkhan, then looked at Hayley. She looked back, her eyes alight with the grin on her face. He looked back out the door, then slapped his forehead as Hayley burst into real peals of laughter.

What music that was to Menrui's ears. He would never get tired of it.

Through her laughs, Hayley stuttered, "W-we should t-try and c-catch up to Khan-kun. H-he's probably way ahead o-of us by now."

She only got a grunt in answer. Five seconds later, the demi-Saiyan lifted his forehead, picked up his painting, and dragged his self out of the door, giggling Hayley in his wake.

By the time they overtook Kakkhan, Hayley had relaxed. She chattered easily with the twins, her black eyes dancing in excitement, and laughed every five sentences. Menrui took back his canvas from Kakkhan, who was only too happy to give it over, complaining that it was much heavier than he'd thought it'd be. Hayley had positively screamed in amusement then.

However, as changes in the neighboring surroundings occurred, Hayley lost more and more enthusiasm, growing quieter as they approached the purlieus of town. The Twins noticed this and glanced around; they, too, grew somber and walked in silence.

Hayley's "neighborhood" was not exactly one of the greatest places to live in the world. Lehigh's Realm was shabbier than Blue Star City, and certainly filled with more destitute peoples than healthy. The buildings surrounding them seemed to sag in silent desperation or shout, agonized, for someone to save them from the dark, dank atmosphere.

It reminded the Twins rather of the past timeline, where Kakkhan had found and rescued Gohan, now Menrui. Indeed, Menrui was barely keeping from falling into depression; Kakkhan served as a lifeline once more. Kakkhan himself had involuntarily donned a grim set of features; his face was hard as his black eyes glittered. Something in him awoke and demanded release. The Saiyan clamped down on it without acknowledging or recognizing it, and moved on.

Not a moment too soon, they had passed through Lehigh's Realm into the brighter parts of West Booth Hamlet, where the County Playhouse was. The Hamlet, in comparison with the Realm, appeared too bright; it looked tawdry, felt overbearingly cheerful, and expended too much energy in keeping up a cheerful appearance. It looked as if the inhabitants of the Hamlet were only too conscious of the desperate conditions only next door.

The images of the Realm stayed with the Twins as they paced through the ostentatious street lined with shops. Knowing that Hayley lived there, commuted to school from there, and came home there, caused pity, sympathy, and sorrow to rumbled inside of Kakkhan, as well as anger. Slow it was, this anger, but hot, smoldering because no one should live this way. It smoldered because thousands and millions _did_ occupy life as such, ripping at the fabric of dreams with their hollow-eyed reality.

Such turmoil needed an outlet. Even Kakkhan knew that. However, all he would allow himself to do, was accomplished in a matter of seconds. A single step was all it took, a small burst of energy, and he was abreast of Hayley. A single step, and he had closed ranks with her, offering her silent support with a gentle bump of his shoulder. Hayley glanced, surprised, at him, then at Menrui, who was wrapping his arm around her shoulders. The trio paced in this formation for five decimeters before Menrui let his arm drop, before Kakkhan nudged her again, before Hayley ran.

:-:-:-:

A minute later, the Twins stood outside the looming old-fashioned theater that was the County Playhouse. They had been concentrating so on the memories of the Realm that they had almost missed it, though it be so large. Coming out of those memories, the Playhouse, like the rest of the Hamlet, looked too bright, too fake, too ideal.

The lights on the front of the façade, above the box office, would light up a world that didn't appreciate light, or tolerated it tiredly. The lined wood appeared as weary as the buildings they had left, and the paint seemed to want to commit suicide. These were not cheerful thoughts for the Twins, but they knew that if they did try to lighten up, not only would they fail, the attempts would not give the miserable circumstances the proper emotional state of mind that it deserved.

It was with this thought in mind as they passed through the doors of the Playhouse.

They faced a row of doors immediately. Stalking forward to the third door from their left, where the kis of the Blue Star Gang members resided, the Paradoxes hesitated not. Seats rolled down away from them, disappearing into darkness despite the efforts of the pinpricks of light on the floor and the lustily burning lamps mounting the wall. Voices whispered in an indistinct dream; the world bent down around them in expectant curiosity; darkness swelled. The history of the universe was happening here and now.

An aberrant step outside of the soft rustling music of whispers resonating in the theater dispelled it. Now the Twins could see a figure in the dark, a sweep of a flashlight, the glint of eyes coming nearer. Suddenly the light was in their eyes, blinding them the split-second before they looked away. A voice called, "Who's there?"

With a sigh, the world withdrew, the darkness receded, and the almost-silent stream of voices subsided, but did not fade.

Kakkhan blinked, his forehead burrowing. Menrui shaded his eyes, thrusting his face into sharp contrast. The voice behind the flashlight let out a short huff and muttered crossly, "I thought you were burglars, mates! Sheesh, scaring me like that. What's the big idea?"

"The idea was that were to come out and play," Kakkhan retorted, his deeper voice bell-like in the vast planet of shadows crowding around the flashlight's beam like a giant moth. "_You_ were the one who issued the order, Tomorī."

"So we have come like good little lapdogs," Menrui continued, his bow to the lanky figure creating another play of shadow and light across the wall, "and are now ready to play. Command as you wish, Tomorī-sensei."

The undercurrent of anger in the sarcastic comments appeared to elude the other person. With a chuckle, the profile shook his head. "You two are a regular riot," Tomorī remarked. "Come on, let's go, the others are waiting down on the stage."

The flashlight spun around again, enveloping the Paradoxes once more in gloom. This time they did not stand still. They separated and looped around Tomorī, leaping soundlessly over the seats outlined dimly in the pitiful light, whooshing by the human as though they were phantoms and Tomorī was their victim. It was the theater that had influenced them so, and the lightlessness that enabled them their recklessness. Danced the Paradoxes did around Tomorī, neither suffering themselves to be seen or heard, though their friend repeatedly named them and ordered them to stop.

Bored with that, the Paradoxes separated again. Menrui ran to the wall and across it, his body parallel with the ground, while Kakkhan continued flitting over the seats. They were both heading for the steadily growing stage and the electric system that illuminated it, as well as the people perched on it.

Suddenly Menrui arrested his stride. He started to climb up onto the balcony above him, keeping an eye on Tomorī's progress. Kakkhan looked back at him, though he himself did not halt. Then he heard it too: The murmuring voices were returning.

A quick grin sprinted over Kakkhan's mouth as he hovered for a brief minute on the seat, ten rows away from the stage, enough to still not be seen. The smile hid just as quickly, even as Kakkhan launched off again. Like a bird, he flickered over the remaining rows, slowing as he came to the last three. By the time he approached the stage, he returned to a normal stride, his clothes settling back onto his skin, his hands sliding into his pockets. He was the very picture of nonchalance; no one would ever have guessed that the Dream Prince, long lain dormant within Kakkhan, had momentarily arisen not five minutes ago.

"Kakkhan, there you are!"

He looked up at Keiko. The chubby ebony-haired girl gestured him up onto the stage, her mud-colored eyes glinting. Kakkhan raised an eyebrow, but performed the action requested of him, albeit a little slower than what Keiko would have liked. Nevertheless, he was up on the stage in a reasonable amount of time, just in time to hear a shriek resound around the amphitheater.

The entire group stared out towards the bleary rows upon rows of seats. Kakkhan smirked as waves of triumph rushed toward him over his link with Menrui; in return he sent a congratulatory sentiment for the accomplishment.

"What happened out there, Khan-kun? You look like you know something. Did something happen to Menrui?"

The Saiyan glanced over his shoulder at Midori. "Oh, Ru just jumped out at Tomorī. He's quite pleased with his success."

As one the Gang groaned and relaxed, slumping like puppets cut from a wire. Kakkhan strolled over and slid a grotesquely green chair in between Caine and a brown-haired girl whom looked vaguely familiar. He spared her a small smile, but introductions were interrupted as a beaming Menrui scuttled onto the stage, steaming Tomorī lunging up after him.

With a laugh, the past Tairyoku dived behind Tsubasa, missing the larger boy's threatening fingers by centimeters. Kakkhan jumped to his brother's aid, even as Keiko attempted to maintain order by separating the two. Keiko's efforts were in vain, as Menrui called for Caine to join in, a crusade he only too happily took up arms for. With a roll of her eyes, Midori pulled Hayley in with her, dragging Keiko down into the commencing pileup. The unknown brunette stood by with a sad smile, until Kyō bodily hauled her in as well.

Giggles, yells, and cries of pain echoed in the auditorium as Midori, Kakkhan, Caine, Hayley, Kyō, the brunette, Tomorī, Tsubasa, Keiko, and Menrui pushed, pummeled, fell, tripped, crashed, wrestled, and jumped on each other. They punched, hit, kicked, screamed, blew raspberries, swept up, and held down, ran, laughed, sang. They strained, engaged in thumb wars, pretend-fought, terrorized, tickled, poked, pulled, ripped, tore at, dived, slid, slipped, and fell down backwards. With the final action, a mass of bodies very much like the first one occurred. This one was much calmer as everyone seized the chance to catch their breath and rest.

Menrui looked down with no little disconcertion at the unknown brunette lying with her head on his stomach. He covered his feelings up with a quick smile, however, and offered his name in exchange for hers.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Lime-san," he said, shaking her hand awkwardly. Inwardly he frowned at the bony quality of her hand, as well as the limpness of her grip. The demi-human hoped he didn't give any of these thoughts away as he smilingly carried on.

"I don't know why I didn't spot you when my brother and I came in, but certainly it was the job of _someone who knows you_ to point you out," he said. His expression didn't change, but Midori, who was entangled in his legs and resting on Kyō, cringed anyway.

"Sorry, Menrui! Hey everyone!" she called, struggling to get up. The eldest member of the Gang (and she was proud of it) gave up when Kyō refused to let her go, forcing her to advance her speech from where she was.

"For those who noticed, there's a new person with us today. She's my best friend from South Boulevard, from before I moved here. Say hello to Lime-chan, guys!"

The mass shifted, moved, then roared in a multitude of voices, "Hello, Lime-chan!" All except for Keiko, whom added her greeting to the others' a moment later. Amidst exclamations, the girl announced, "I am _not_ a guy, all right? I'm a girl, and don't you forget it!"

Caine spoke for everyone when he queried, "Who said you weren't?" Murmurs of assent and like questions ensued, even as Keiko retorted, "Midori-chan did. She said, 'Say hello to Lime-chan, _guys_'. Well, I'm not a guy, like I said before, so I said hello _after_ everyone else."

Groans punctuated the air as the Blue Star Gang expressed its exasperation at Keiko's rebellious feminism. But, while all of this was happening, Menrui and Kakkhan had been holding a short mental meeting about the newcomer.

'What do you think about her? She seems familiar, doesn't she? I know her from somewhere, but I can't remember where,' Menrui asserted. Kakkhan affirmed the sentiment in its entirety, puzzling in his turn whence he remembered Lime.

'Hm. Well, when I get the change to do some meditation, I'll be able to tell you,' he responded at last. 'I have this feeling that Lime-san won't go away.' 

'We are in accord,' Menrui averred, as seriously that Kakkhan almost burst out laughing. Where had his brother learned such formal language? Chuckles bubbling just under his surface, Kakkhan followed Menrui outside of their bond to reality.

"Fine," Tsubasa grumbled, scowling fiercely as Tomorī lounged, grinning, next to him. The two cousins were nothing alike in terms of looks, despite their fathers being two of three triplets. They held similarities in their personalities and their likes; therein lay their familial ties. "I'll stop doing it."

Having just missed an entire conversation, Kakkhan comprehended none of the events occurring in front of him. Hayley, curled up beside him, noticed his blank look. In soft words, she narrated the gist of the talk, which had turned somehow from rogue feminism to Tsubasa's annoying habit of singing screechy cabaret songs from the 680s AD (1). Tomorī was especially cheerful, as it was a favorite pastime of his to tease his cousin about his preference for the outdated songs.

Kakkhan nodded his understanding and spoke up at the next available opportunity. "I think that we should tickle him until he _swears_ not to do it anymore."

"Yeah!" Caine cried. Before Tsubasa could move, the longhaired tennis player pounced on him. Tomorī captured his cousin's arms so that Tsubasa couldn't escape, only scream and laugh as Caine ruthlessly dug into his sides.

"No!" Tsubasa shouted, laughter percolating from his throat. "Hahaha! S-stop, haha, stop it, p-please, hahaha!"

Kakkhan stood up in one fluid movement, somehow avoiding Hayley and Keiko, and walked gingerly over to the trapped Kinoskü. "Not until you swear you won't sing those stupid songs _ever again_," he growled, leaning over the malicious Caine to stare straight into Tsubasa's eyes.

Tsubasa lingered under the gaze for a record three minutes before another burst of laughter bolted out of him. "I-I swear! I solemnly p-promise," he began to splutter, still under the mercy of Caine's diligent fingers, "to, hahah, to not sing any, heh! Hehehe!"

"Caine, leave off on tickling him. Tomorī, don't let him go," Kakkhan ordered. Caine uttered a sound of disappointment, but withdrew under the Saiyan's stern gaze. Tomorī just nodded distractedly as he tried to continue caging his struggling cousin.

A hand on his head promptly stilled his actions. Tsubasa glanced slowly up into Kakkhan's cold black eyes and instantly blabbered out the rest of his oath. "IswearIwon'tsingcabaretsongsfromthesixeightiesanymore!"

"What was that?" Kakkhan asked, his voice light, his eyes still dangerous. Tsubasa gulped again and repeated, slowly, "I…swear I won't sing… cabaret songs from the six eighties…anymore." Kakkhan smirked and leaned away from him again, while Tsubasa sighed in relief. The other members of the Blue Star Gang laughed nervously, although Menrui just rolled his eyes.

"And that, my dear Lime-chan, is why Kakkhan is the leader of the Blue Star Gang," Midori proclaimed. "He's too scary sometimes."

"Oh, please," Kakkhan snorted. "More often than not, it's _you_ that keeps bossing people around. I'm hardly the leader."

"Oh, yes, you are!" the peanut gallery chorused. They smiled innocently at Kakkhan as he turned to look incredulously at them mid-stride. He put down his foot and frowned at his friends, his forehead puckering ever so slightly.

"What do you mean?" he inquired of them, sliding his hands into his pockets. He unconsciously straightened his back and put back his shoulders, as if he were back in the classroom with Xian, or Janden, or one of the other teachers. He was about to learn something here.

Exchanging looks, the Gang members engaged in silent communication in a few short seconds. They then turned back to the silent Saiyan standing tall in front of them, studied him for a bit, then looked away. Only Kyō didn't look away, and it was he who said to him, "That's why."

The Saiyan blinked. "What?" He looked down at himself and looked back, clearly confused, although the feeling didn't manifest on his face. "Why is it?"

Kyō merely smiled at him again and turned to Midori, who was still on his lap. Shrieks erupted as Kyō started tickling _her_, though not nearly as maliciously as Caine had Tsubasa. Kakkhan was left to his own devices upon the matter, and he didn't like it at all.

:-:-:-:

After three hours in the Playhouse, a janitor with a cruel-looking broom finally chased the Gang out. Laughing wildly, everyone except Menrui, Kakkhan, and Lime dashed ahead, racing each other through Lehigh's Realm. Hayley was the first to go in, and quite possibly the first to come out, Kakkhan surmised. And who could blame her? Having a home in that place had to be embarrassing when surrounded by friends that were so much better off.

Thinking along the same lines, Menrui shuddered. "I think the others have a good idea. I'm going to go run through the Realm. You two coming?"

Both shook their heads. Kakkhan extended his comment further, "I have a bit to think about."

Understanding, Ru nodded. He looked at Lime, whom simply shrugged. He raised his eyebrows at her, his black eyes searching, but his shoulders bounced up and down in turn. Lime seemed to flush, but she held his gaze, almost defiantly.

"I'll see you later then." He swung around and sped away, making his displeasure of the Realm known. Kakkhan only smirked.

In silence Kakkhan and Lime started forward. The Saiyan kept an eye on her, since her ki didn't feel entirely right, as if there was something wrong with her. It had bothered him, this sense, ever since he noticed this, and he was constantly aware of where she was and what she was doing. Lime seemed to be doing all right now, but he never knew.

It was when Kakkhan was looking away, though, when she spoke up.

"So, …Kakkhan, is it?"

Kakkhan grunted his confirmation.

"Kakkhan-kun, are you the Giendonese Warrior?"

:-:-:-:

(1) At present, the setting is in 750 AD, so Tsubasa sings songs that are seventy years old. The equivalent is someone playing music from the 1930s in real time. Heeheehee.

:-:-:-:

A/n: WHAT? Lime knows? Where did that come from?

Allati: (Looks at authoress) You.

(Looks™ at muse) You're the muse, Allati. It came from _you_. Don't deny it.

Allati: But you wrote it! (Conscious of readers banging on the office door)

True… but if I didn't have the idea, I wouldn't have written it, now would I have?

Allati: You could have just discarded it….

So could you.

Allati: (Cries)

There, there, Allati, it'll be all right…. (Pats muse on back). (To readers) Oh, go away, all of you! We're not going to tell you what's going on! (Readers leave, grumbling)

Right. On to the sneak preview!

:-:-:-:

SNEAK PREVIEW OF: Dealing with Lime

"It doesn't work that way," Kakkhan declared, raising his eyebrows. "Even _you_ know better than that." Now it was Midori's turn to acquire an annoyed expression. Hers fell more on the weary scale than Kakkhan's; an observation supported as the raven-haired girl blew her hair out of her eyes.

:-:-:-:

REVIEW RESPONSES:

Why do I even do this anymore? You know where to go. Be patient, though. I haven't been able to get to that place in ages; responses from previous chapters that have not been covered will not appear in the community. My many apologies. (Bows)

:-:-:-:

Shout outs to my reviewers, **DBZ Chick1 **and **ShadowObscurity**!

I hope you're looking forward to the next chapter! How will Kakkhan handle this? Find out, next time on **Kakkhan II**! (Winks)

_Hasta la vista_

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, at **AASN**

**AASN; **Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 10.17.05_


	14. Dealing with Lime

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

_Warnings: Mentions of Blackmail_

:-:-:-:

Previously on **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**—

_It was when Kakkhan was looking away, though, when she spoke up. _

_"So, …Kakkhan, is it?" _

_Kakkhan grunted his confirmation. _

_"Kakkhan-kun, are you the Giendonese Warrior?"_

:-:-:-:

Chapter Fourteen: Dealing with Lime

:-:-:-:

"The Giendonese Warrior? Isn't he the guy who defeated Cell?"

Kakkhan now stared at not the ground but at the redhead pacing nervously beside him. Despite his question, he was scrutinizing her intently, his brain racing as he endeavored to reason out why this total and complete stranger would know one of his greater secrets.

Apparently startled by this study, Lime swallowed and nodded warily. Her hands crept involuntarily to her throat, where they clasped each other in a self-conscious movement.

Still gazing at her, Kakkhan neatly dodged a small child of about six or seven years old. "Why did you ask if I was the Giendonese Warrior? I look nothing like him."

"Yes you do!" she burst out, her fingers moving away from her mouth. "You have the same facial features, body structure, and even the same smirk! I-I can see him in you! I—"

"Interesting," Kakkhan interrupted. He had turned his head back to Lehigh's Realm, but his eyes were distant. Inside, he thought once more, reflecting upon the possibility of meeting Lime-san once before. She _did_ seem familiar. "I'll have to think on this."

"So…you a-aren't the Warrior?" At the catch in Lime's voice, he swung back to her curiously. Her head hung as her fingers covered her face below her nose, which was all that he could see with the red hair concealing the rest. The abject droop of her shoulders struck him as odd. Why was she so emotionally invested in finding out if he was the Warrior? It didn't seem natural, unless the obsession ran deeper than a simple curiosity.

Still, he preserved the light tone of his voice when he replied, "I wish. I think it would be so sweet to fly without being in an airplane, feeling the wind against the face and in the hair…."

"That's the way I feel whenever I think about him." No need to ask whom _him_ was. They hadn't changed the subject sufficiently enough. But Kakkhan was interested now.

She continued, "I feel so happy when the Warrior comes up in conversation. My spirits lift so much until I think I _could_ fly. I've been looking for him for years, and I thought I had found him two weeks ago. It was lucky I knew Midori here, or my foster parents wouldn't have let me come here, and now—"

"Why were looking for him in the first place? It seems to me that you're a little…" How could he put this without hurting this girl? She was already almost in tears; he didn't want to cause her to cry, really cry.

But Lime supplied a word of her own. "Obsessed?" She smiled bitterly. "So I've been told for the past two years. But I've never given up hope. I'm not going to start now."

"But why?" Kakkhan insisted, his expression carefully uncomprehending, as if he couldn't figure out Lime's motives. A glimmer of what had happened had already presented itself, but Kakkhan wished to keep it to himself until his suspicions were confirmed. "I don't get it," he added for extra measure.

His companion sighed. "You're going to think I'm ridiculous if I tell you," she began. She sighed again upon receiving a pointed look from Kakkhan. She walked quietly for a few seconds, as if collecting her thoughts, then started again, haltingly.

"The Giendonese Warrior… he saved me four years ago, before the Cell Games. At the time, I was trying to get an apple from a tree next to a river, and if it hadn't been for him, I wouldhavefallenintotheriveranddrowned."

While Kakkhan tried to decipher the last independent clause, Lime withdrew again behind her hair and her hands again, clearly expecting to be turned away once more. However, all that Kakkhan said, when he finally straightened the statement out, simply became, "Okay."

Brown eyes snapped open and blinked at him. A squeak: "What?" emerged from the newly uncovered mouth. When Kakkhan only looked at her in response to the question, she demanded again:

"What did you just say?"

Kakkhan adopted an inquisitive expression on his features, looking like he couldn't understand why Lime was being so ebullient about his answer. "I said," he repeated, "okay. I mean, I still don't get it, but okay. Fine." He pivoted his head away from here again, an apparent attempt to shut the subject down.

But Lime did not want to give it up just yet. "Thank you so much!" She leapt forward and probably would have hugged Kakkhan had not she stumbled nor the Saiyan exert energy to hold her off in anticipation of the gesture. As it was, Lime ended up tumbling into Kakkhan's embrace. The girl immediately blushed, but Kakkhan only frowned.

"You're sick, aren't you? Your skin's clammy and you smell like a hospital does," he commented, "with that disinfectant and everything."

Lime sprang away from him, fear quickly covering the surprise in her eyes and working its way into her face. He mouth worked, but made no sound as she hastily backed away from him. Kakkhan lowered his arms and watched her steadily, waiting for her to answer.

They were nearly out of Lehigh's Realm, but once they were out, there wouldn't be another chance for Kakkhan to obtain his answers. Lime clearly would not talk about them in the presence of others, and she would likely want to spend less time around him because of his insight. If she was here with him, alone, and right at the time of the confrontation, there might be a better chance of disclosure.

Kakkhan discreetly made sure that he hampered the way out of Lehigh's Realm.

"Well?" he pressed, when Lime had hit the wall of the building farthest away from him. She stared at him with fearful eyes, her hands shaking while she slid down the length of the building. Huddling in a heap of bones and flesh at the floor, she flinched with Kakkhan's every movement, causing the Saiyan to shift as little as possible. He certainly possessed the capability to do so, he reminded himself. Meditation in large quantities does that to you.

"I—I—You can't tell anyone else that I'm sick!" she cried. "Only Midori knows, and had to be sworn to secrecy or otherwise I wouldn't be able to come here and—"

"Calm down!" Kakkhan barked, instantly halting the flow of words from the frightened girl. "I'm not going to blackmail you. I just want to know why you're sick."

Lime shook her head violently and commenced pleading once more. Kakkhan surrendered that line of questioning with annoyance; he was evidently going to get nowhere talking about this. So he rocked back on his heels and examined her again.

Now that his surmises were definitely confirmed about Lime's unhealthiness, he could see plainly the sallow quality of her skin, the sag of it under her eyes, as if she were perpetually tired, and how tightly it clung to her, among other things. The constant tremble of her fingers did not go unnoticed, or the unnatural rhythm of her breathing. No, Lime-san was truly not well. Nevertheless, she didn't want to talk about it, so he wouldn't.

"What does the Giendonese Warrior represent to you, then? You have a reason for obsessing about him," Kakkhan asserted, still on his heels. "You told me how you feel. But what does he really remind you of? Flying? Being free? What? Help me out here, if you won't tell me why you're sick."

Lime gulped. Kakkhan rolled his eyes in exasperation and would have taken a step forward, but he remembered what Lime would do if he did. Rolling his eyes again, the Saiyan settled for shoving his hands into his pockets and simply waiting.

After about five seconds had passed, during which Lime had tracked Kakkhan's every move or potential move anxiously, the girl finally spoke up. "He…he reminds me of when Grandpa was still alive, and the times of when I was sincerely cared about and I didn't have to prove myself worthy of that. I mean, he saved me from drowning in the river first, and then he went and saved the entire world from being blown up.

"I—it's probably stupid of me to think this way, but I feel so…so _special_, that the Giendonese Warrior would be concerned about one person, and one person only, when he had other things on his mind, such as the Cell Games. He was just probably there in the right place at the right time, but still…."

The redhead trailed off into silence, probably realizing that she was giving more personal things away. Kakkhan couldn't blame her for that—talking freely to a person, who had found out a deadly secret, about something else instead that meant just as much to her? Indeed, he could understand. He also sensed the passion within her about the subject, and knew that she brimmed with the fervent desire to tell someone, _anyone_ about her idolization of the Giendonese Warrior without being brushed off.

The alien himself possessed secrets of a similar nature, but there existed already a group of people who knew those enigmas and still liked him. In fact, they had always liked him. Nor did Kakkhan really feel any remorse about keeping from others outside of that group his heritage. No, he didn't really comprehend the pain that Lime endured by having no one to respect her views, but he could try and make her life easier.

"But still," he stated, meeting her startled gaze squarely, "it gives you hope, and judging from your appearance and state of nerves, you probably need it." He turned and quickly walked out of Lehigh's Realm for not the last time, leaving a startled, anxious, and exhausted Lime to find her own way out. If Lime didn't want to spend any more time around him, he wasn't going to force her to.

It felt strange, not to be trusted with anyone's deepest and darkest mysteries.

:-:-:-:-:

As predicted, Kakkhan did not see much more of Lime over the next few days. Although he had relinquished himself to this fate, he experienced more anger that he wasn't trusted. If in Lime's eyes he had a prime opportunity to blackmail her or do whatever, well, he certainly was not about to take it up. He appreciated the image not, even going so far as to be indignant about it. Nevertheless, the redhead tried, and mostly succeeded, in avoiding him.

Five days after the County Playhouse, Midori approached him and asked if she could speak with him privately. Frowning, as the eldest member of the Gang never presented so serious a face, he acquiesced immediately. They only traveled a few meters away from the Gang, but the noise outside of the town square they inhabited became enough for privacy.

Midori faced Kakkhan and came right out with the topic of the discussion. "After much coaxing and talking, Kakkhan, I finally convinced Lime to tell me what was bothering her ever since Lehigh's Realm. Apparently, you found out that she was sick, desperately sick. I don't know how you discovered that, but Lime has been winding herself up into a tight ball of nerves wondering what you're going to do. Since she doesn't want to ask you herself, I will. What _are_ you going to do?"

Kakkhan needed only a thought for his answer. "Nothing. You should know me better than that, Midori. I don't reveal secrets that have been consigned to me. Usually those are voluntary, but my policy includes involuntary secrets, too. I don't abuse the privilege either—"

"That's what I told Lime-san. She wouldn't believe me, though I told her dozens of times. Now that you've said it, though, I can finally get her to _relax_," Midori interrupted. She grinned slightly at Kakkhan's annoyed expression. "Sorry, Khan-kun. You know how those things go."

"Hmpf," was all that Kakkhan replied with. Midori grinned again, although it faded slightly a second later.

"Did she tell you what she was sick with?" she asked, a tint of hope in her voice. Kakkhan glanced at her sharply, but disappointed her with the negative shake of his head. "Darn. I was hoping that maybe she would open up to someone who didn't know her and thus was not so prejudiced against or for her."

"It doesn't work that way," Kakkhan declared, raising his eyebrows. "Even _you_ know better than that." Now it was Midori's turn to acquire an annoyed expression. Hers fell more on the weary scale than Kakkhan's; an observation supported as the raven-haired girl blew her hair out of her eyes.

"Yeah, I suppose so," she agreed reluctantly. "So, I'm going to have to wait either until Lime tells you herself why she's sick or until she chickens out again and makes me do it."

Kakkhan joined Midori in making a face, though for different reasons than his friend. They turned and trooped back to the remaining Gang members; two noticed the trek back and teased them about sneaking off in the first place. For their trouble, Yuki and Kyō were subjected to cutting remarks about their own adventures, and life found harmony again.

Nonetheless, Kakkhan, out of the corner of his eye, perceived the heated conversation Midori and the new girl held when they thought he wasn't looking. He noticed Lime slump with relief; anger coursed through him again upon her distrust. Really, he was better than that! He growled under his breath and turned abruptly away from them, concentrating instead on the football (1) conversation Tsubasa and Caine batted around.

:-:-:-:

"So what do you think of Lime, bro?" Menrui flopped onto the couch next to Kakkhan and huffed a loud breath. "Sheesh, I'm hungry from all that romping."

Kakkhan smirked briefly. Only he and Ru could call the numerous runs resulting from the day's impromptu citywide game of tag "romping". He replied unsympathetically, "Go eat something, then."

"I think I will," Menrui pronounced thoughtfully. He already had crossed the threshold into the kitchen when Kakkhan called after him, "I don't know exactly what to think about Lime-san. What do _you _think?"

The demi-Saiyan halted his greedy advance into the kitchen and turned back. "I don't really like her, actually. I don't know why, either, but I don't."

"Really?" Kakkhan inquired. "How did you get that impression?" He ignored Menrui's innocent statement of ignorance about the reason. He shifted instead on the couch to look into the culinary room.

"I think it was her unhealthiness," Kakkhan's brother called. "Her ki seemed odd to me, and she was definitely hiding something."

"That's what I got!" the Saiyan corroborated. "But neither Midori-chan nor Lime-san will tell me."

"So that's what you were talking about with Midori?" Menrui stuck his head into the doorway just as beautiful aromas of cooked chicken drifted through.

"Oh, that food smells delicious. Thank Bulma for the refilled refrigerators," Kakkhan announced, his eyes glazing over as his nose screamed for more of the delightful smells. His digestive organ demanded the actual substances, on the other hand, and its owner was only too happy to oblige it. "You better not have taken the last of it!" he threatened as he shot towards the food.

"How could I have?" laughed Menrui. "_You_ were the one talking about the refilling refrigerators!"

Kakkhan disregarded his brother's taunt in favor of the light shining out from the belly of the beloved appliance. "Come to papa," he crooned as he reached for the plate heaped high with fowl.

"You surprise me every day with your devotion to food, Kakkhan," snickered Menrui. Kakkhan's glare did nothing in the least to faze him; instead he merely added, "Though I really can't say anything myself. Still, I don't say 'Come to papa'."

"Guess what Kakkarot and Vegeta say," Kakkhan replied. "They're much worse than I am."

"I believe it," Menrui stated mock-solemnly. "Those two really are just ridiculous sometimes."

Kakkhan agreed absently, "They are." Withdrawing his head and a platter from the machine, the Saiyan spun slowly and carefully positioned the dish on the nearby island. Several foods had discovered their way onto it, and the sights reminded Menrui suddenly why he had come in here in the first place.

After they had dug in sufficiently enough for them to eat a minutely slower pace, Menrui started up the conversation again. "Speaking of Vegeta, how are your anger management sessions with him going?"

His brother had to swallow a large morsel of his professionally created sandwich before answering. The sandwich was professionally created because of the haste in its genesis, not just its perfection upon the revelation.

"It's actually doing well. Yesterday Vegeta managed to be civil for exactly five minutes before he blew up again in impatience." Kakkhan smiled with Menrui as laughter echoed in the house. Theron bounded into the kitchen in response to the noise and immediately made a beeline for the island, which the Paradoxes perched on.

"NO, Theron! You know you're not supposed to be in here!" The Past Paradox, Menrui, shouted at the Great Dane in reaction. Kakkhan merely pointed to the door, a stern look affixed onto his face. Instantly the ears of the Dane drooped, his body hunched, and his tail ceased wagging as he slinked out of the kitchen, obviously feeling unloved.

The Twins ignored him, returning instead to their earlier conversation. They discussed the tactics Kakkhan used in "calming" Vegeta, and how much of an effect on the rest of the Z-senshi the lessons would have when they achieved his goal. They knew instantly, however, when Theron poked his head back into the kitchen again, then tried to sneak in again on his stomach. He ended up lying half-in and half-out of the cook's realm when Kakkhan called out warningly, and had the good sense to remain there until his "humans" let him back in.

"No, Lime, well, she just doesn't appeal to me," Menrui reported out of the blue. Kakkhan blinked and turned to him, clearly thinking, Where did _that_ come from? Menrui clarified: "She…she seems like she has different interests than I do, so much so that we don't have anything in common. Yeah, that's what it is."

"Hm," Kakkhan responded, turning inward thoughtfully. Did _he_ feel that way? Almost immediately he answer was no. He was ready and willing to help Lime-san because she was sick, but was angry because she wouldn't trust him. He reminded himself that it was her fault that she was so paranoid, but it was no use. Rage on the rise became a juggernaut, which could not be stopped.

So Kakkhan announced abruptly, "Let's spar, Ru. Thinking about Lime-san makes me angry."

"Huh?" was Menrui's eloquent answer as Kakkhan stuffed the last of sandwich into his mouth and stood up brusquely. The Present Paradox strode out of the kitchen, stepping over Theron in his path, and striding towards the weapons room, a slight aura of gold already surrounding him. "Wait! What's the matter?"

'Just come on, Ru!' Kakkhan growled in Menrui's head. Forced to abandon his own lunch, the Past Paradox scrambled after him. Theron raised his head and thumped his tail, but he received only a hasty pat on his head in return for his anticipation. Not disappointed for long, Theron smelled the food still waiting to be consumed. No one was around, so he seized this one-time only chance in a lifetime. While Kakkhan tried to beat his anger out of his system and thrust it on Menrui, the Dane began munching happily on beatifically cooked chicken covered with tomato and lettuce, topped with rye bread, and the large helpings of pickles on the side.

:-:-:-:

When the sweating Paradoxes returned to find that _someone_ had already cleaned their plates for them, they were indeed upset. Theron suffered a blow on his ear and a severe scolding, as well as banishment from the kitchen for three weeks (a fate made worse by the fact that Theron's proper food was housed there). The refrigerator found itself emptied again, though not for long, due to its refilling capacity. And more plates were laden with edibles, though those victuals found themselves going down the esophagus of two humanoids this time.

And Kakkhan was much better off.

Menrui was confused no longer by his twin's behavior; he'd forced the reason behind the pop spar by almost breaking Kakkhan's windpipe. This might have been cruel and unusual punishment for any other person than Kakkhan, but as his brother was immortal, Menrui had left such thoughts far behind long ago.

In fact, the demi-Saiyan sympathized with his counterpart. To be treated as dangerous (never mind that they _were_ dangerous, being Saiyans) by someone whom didn't know one very well was not exactly heart-warming. Of course, that old lady over down on Trent Lane did that to Kakkhan all the time. The treatment would have been more effective, however, had Kakkhan not elected to return the favor by ignoring her.

Scrutinizing his brother, Menrui decided to speak to Lime. His aim was not to get Lime to divulge her secrets, he told himself, but to stop distancing herself from his brother. If she began to know Kakkhan a little better, then perhaps she would cease her foolish behavior, and through that action, desist in hurting his brother.

If Kakkhan found out that Menrui was doing this... Maybe he'd better instruct Lime in the proper discretion concerning this matter, as well.

He resolved to settle this tomorrow, if Lime gave him that chance.

:-:-:-:

(1) "Football" is not American football. It is "football," or soccer, as Americans say. (Sweatdrops) Why do we have to be so backwards? (Shakes head mournfully)

:-:-:-:

A/n: Well, that's done. I hope you liked it.

:-:-:-:

SNEAK PREVIEW OF: The Tribute to Ephemeron

And upon the paper was written, in Kakkhan's handwriting, almost illegible:

_The tribute to Ephemeron_

_Oh, how bittersweet it is once gone_

:-:-:-:

ADDITIONAL THANKS: 

Bio. Link. LJ Community. Review Responses.

:-:-:-:

Thanks to **ShadowObscurity **and **DBZ Chick1** for their awesome reviews! (bows)

Btw, the part of the sneak preview in italics is part of a poem. So don't be confused if you get to that part and you encounter more lines than you thought there were. 'Kay?

Phew! Lime hasn't found out Kakkhan's secret. But she's come _extremely_ close... Too close for words. Luckily, our hero managed to fend her off. But what's this? Lime is now afraid of him? For Kami's sake, why? That's what Kakkhan wants to know. Midori provided some clues, but no one's telling, and Menrui's decided to do something about that! His decision was made when he and Kakkhan began to talk about her over their food, then Kakkhan challenged him to a spar out of anger. The duo came back to find that Theron had stolen their food while they were sparring, resulting in banishment from the kitchen for three weeks! Oh, no! How is everything going to turn out? You'll find out, only if you come back for the next chapter of **Kakkhan II**! (And if you review!)

Vale!

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN;** Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 01.21.06_


	15. The Tribute to Eternity

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter **

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

_Warnings: Character Death _

:-:-:-:-:

Previously on **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**—

_If Kakkhan found out that Menrui was doing this... Maybe he'd better instruct Lime in the proper discretion concerning this matter, as well. _

_He resolved to settle this tomorrow, if Lime gave him that chance. _

:-:-:-:-:

Chapter Fifteen: The Tribute to Eternity

:-:-:-:

The next day Kakkhan watched impassively as Lime ducked him yet again. Menrui noted the action also; an emotion crossed his face that would not have been identified had it been seen.

Hours later, Lime-san would hold Kakkhan's gaze for two seconds more before she looked away. The Saiyan would raise his eyebrows, would glance at Menrui. He would imagine he saw a glimmer of satisfaction on his brother's face, but it was only a hallucination, he would scold himself.

In the meantime, Kakkhan worried about whether or not Lime-san would truly discover his secret as long as she was around. He remained himself, he made sure, but kept a hyperawareness of her around himself to prevent her sneaking anything up on him again. Kyō and Caine noticed and began to tease their friend about it, whereas Kakkhan merely ignored hem in his continuing, contradictory concern over their timid guest.

Midori did nothing to help. She reassured Kakkhan over and again that she was working Lime.

"It's just that she's so stubborn about it, Khan-kun. I don't exactly understand myself why, but I have to respect her right to protect herself," she told him later that day.

"Enough to stand by while she gets progressively worse and worse about it? I don't think so," retorted the Saiyan bitingly. Midori only sighed.

"Not all of us think that way, Khan-kun," she informed him, defeat coloring her voice. "Some of us are too loyal to break an oath once made."

His anger unexpectedly dissipating, Kakkhan examined his friend's features closely. Defeat was not a usual emotion for her; he guessed at why it would appear now. "You've beaten yourself up about that often enough, haven't you? You want to tell somebody about Lime-san, but you're afraid of losing her friendship if you do," he speculated.

Midori smiled sadly. "I wish I could be as strong as you are, Khan-kun," she began. Kakkhan silenced her with his hand.

"Do not go down that path again, Mi-chan," he told her firmly. "You know that way leads to madness."

Chuckles Kakkhan's hand muffled nevertheless made their sound heard. The Saiyan removed his hand to allow Midori the freedom of speech.

"You're right," she told him. She would have said more, but Keiko decided matters for them when she pointed at them and theatrically cried in a shrill voice, "Romance!" The chubby girl clasped her hands together and batted her eyes ferociously. "Oh, how it uplifts the heart..."

Two pairs of hands shut Keiko up.

:-:-:-:

It would turn out that Lime-san was the least of Kakkhan's worries. Rakael could no longer feed Kakkhan information about the forgotten assassin due to the suspicions cast upon her during the external arguments after Kakkhan's trial. She had finally been restricted in terms of what she was allowed to do. All was not lost, for instead, Balannon took up the slack once he discovered the proceedings.

Like Rakael, Balannon would not disclose the name of the enemy, but he did confirm the sniper was a fosterling. The confirmation gave Kakkhan no relief as the Saiyan had already thought of the idea long ago.

Nevertheless Kakkhan did enjoy communicating with Balannon again. Balannon did not use a computer for intraspatial conversations, but instead a globular device that bypassed the Laniin frequencies with its own low one, thus escaping anyone's radar.

Because of this, the two felt marginally safer than before, although Balannon did admit the device could be tampered with. However, the Gorthan reassured his friend that since its procurement, it had not left his hands.

Balannon and Kakkhan left off their last communication upon that cheerful note, each promising to contact the other the next day. The Saiyan pushed away from the desk and swiveled up from his chair. He jumped down from his loft and wandered into the kitchen. He came back out cramming the end-piece of what had been a foot-long sandwich into his mouth, smacking his lips contentedly.

Finding his shoes inside the door, Kakkhan sat down to slowly put them on. He was out of the door in less time than to sneeze, just in time to save the world.

Or perhaps himself.

Immediately a ki barrier sprang up around the immortal. Kakkhan retaliated with his own energy blast volley before he ducked around the corner of his house. From there he peered at the long-anticipated assassin. To his surprise, it was not Peta the Human, the girl he had saved, who greeted him so coldly: it was someone else.

This someone glared at him with such hostility as to steal Kakkhan's breath away from him. Notwithstanding the hostility, Kakkhan composed his face to be impassive and readied for another assault. The assassin seemed to be waiting for him to come out from his hiding place before it attacked, and attack it would he knew.

However, he could do something to protect his surroundings before the offensive commenced. He concentrated, and just in time.

"Come on out, traitor! I will not fight a pusillanimous and irresponsible Saiyan, but the one I have been sent to kill, the fosterling called Eiranos Jandelen!"

"Such am I," Kakkhan shouted back, ignoring the chills the assassin's voice forced upon him. The voice, above all else, belied the strangeness of the profane mixture of human flesh and metallic weapon glaring at him. The intonations were distorted and the consonants unusually emphasized, and the tone itself should not have been altered in this unfortunate Earthling.

Having launched himself from behind his house, the Saiyan surveyed the sniper once more. The boy, really, sported an unnatural height, immaculately kept green hair, and a smartly pressed outfit. Notwithstanding the groomed image, Kakkhan's eyes darted directly to the unceasingly changing right arm. A different weapon congealed into existence every kilosecond, revealing first a bazooka, then a rapier, back to an Earthling automatic machine gun, then to a Laniin energy cannon. Clearly genes had been mutated here much to the human's detriment.

**_You are allowed to speak in Laniin, Earthling. I will understand you,_** Kakkhan finally told the specter sprouting out of the ground.

Outrage entered the cold light-colored eyes of the living weapon. **_You dare to befoul the language of my masters? _**he bellowed.

**_You sully the tongue of our origin speaking it!_** Kakkhan retorted. **_Speaking Laniin you sound like an actual intelligent being._**

Kakkhan heard the faint grinding of his opponent's teeth. Clearly the boy had been raised angry; however much this assassin had been trained at controlling his emotions—

He smirked as the sniper closed his eyes and composed himself. **_That's better. Now you show the training of your masters._**

**_And what would you know about that, _Saiyan?** The eyes attempted to burn into him again with their blankness, but he had gained his bearings on his visitor and was unmoved.

**_You forget, human, I know very well the inner workings of the fosterling army. Living weapons are, after all, part of the main force,_** Kakkhan reminded him. He also donned his mask and stood perpendicular in his ritual preparation for battle.

**_But I am not just a living weapon, _**his opponent smirked. Without warning, Kakkhan found himself dodging the blast of the bazooka he'd seen earlier. Distantly, as the Saiyan recovered, he calculated the speed of that blast to be a fifth of the speed of light. Raising his head, he saw the triumphant glean the Earthling carried.

**_How do you like that? That was my weakest shot, incidentally. Do you want to see a faster one?_** he crowed.

"You talk too much, Earthling," Kakkhan growled from behind him. As the assassin whirled, eyes widening a fraction, Kakkhan swung his leg and connected it solidly with the opposing face. The assassin staggered slightly, allowing Kakkhan to attack again, this time using both a charged fist and a plain one.

A part of Kakkhan was glad the majority consciousness had put up a ki barrier. The shots that both Kakkhan and the assassin sent off bounced everywhere. Potential destruction of life, property, and happiness was averted, though the road they stood on could not claim the same. Cries were starting to be heard without as the people of Blue Star City finally responded to the clamor and light show he and the fosterling were putting on.

As for the fight itself, no words were tossed out, but communication happened. The fosterling told his story of being trained day after day after day merely to kill him, Kakkhan. The mutant was allowed no breaks, no regeneration, no friends. It was train, train, and train more. The boy did nevertheless have a good mind, for Kakkhan saw spontaneous combustion where they were needed against him. Nevertheless his anger and lost identity influenced his martial style just as much as his impressive training did.

Kakkhan, in turn, tried to convey his own life. Finding his family, discovering their innate comradeship—so different from the Laniins—his own identity tilted and turned upon its axis in unsettling and different ways. The decision to formulate his identity as a reformed Earthling wove into his punches, kicks, and escapes—also underlined with the determination to win this fight.

**KLANG!** The Spirit Blade Kakkhan created solidified instantaneously. An exhausted smirk graced the features of the assassin. **_You will find that no Spirit attack will perform correctly in my presence, Saiyan,_** he remarked calmly. He slipped on a pebble and almost didn't save himself in time. Kakkhan eyed him critically but did not comment on that.

**_Really?_** He replied instead. **_You are a dangerous presence for those who wield Spirit weapons, then. I imagine all of Giendon is wary of you. _**

He swung the katana in his hands expertly and moved again. The sword met the rapier-arm of the weapon-mutant angrily. The two sprang apart and rushed each other simultaneously; at the last moment Kakkhan jumped upward and kicked his opponent behind the head. While he had the chance, Kakkhan swung his sword and slashed at the sniper's back.

First blood, he thought grimly. Now it'll get harder from here.

It seemed long before the assassin re-straightened. The mask that had been slipping during their fight was firmly affixed in place. For a split-second Kakkhan could see why the unemotional countenance was so terrifying; he was in battle again before the revelation fully registered.

**_It is past time this finished, Eiranos Jandelen,_** the slayer told him. **_My name is Philaren Tetalar, and I am the last thing you will ever see._**

Tetalar pushed down on Kakkhan with an overbearing strength in a situation that the Saiyan swiftly rectified. Exploding into existence, the gold fire of any Saiyan ascendance pushed the assassin away. The Saiyan seized the opportunity to power up to Super Saiyan Two, had time to set for a Kamehameha Wave. He did not have time to launch it.

For an energy blast for Tetalar's cannon pummeled straight into him, pulverizing into his solar plexus. Luckily for Kakkhan, the sniper had been too rushed to fire off a good blast. The next shot Kakkhan neatly dodged, retaliated with his own Troposphere Blast. While the assassin was still looking at him, he formed another Kamehameha. Tetalar raised his arm again to repeat his earlier function—

And promptly fell over as the Troposphere hit him. Kakkhan discharged the Kamehameha, but had to cut off his attack when he heard a rustling behind him. Calmly he angled a hand behind himself and concentrated on this task. A grunt told him he was successful; he swung around in time to avoid the body falling on him.

He realized what was at his feet split seconds before the **presence** of the assassin skyrocketed. Cursing himself for his stupidity, he wheeled around even as the right arm of his opponent shifted to the roiling form of the Spirit Genesis and the left hand clutched a Spirit Blade. Kakkhan didn't stop to wonder about the lie his opponent had just told him; he immediately shot forward to try to prevent what was about to happen.

**_GENESIS BLADE..._** he heard, and knew he was too late. He skidded to a stop and threw up a strong Spirit Shield. He could only—

**_OBLITERATE!_**

The Spirit Shield shattered; Kakkhan blasted a ki barrier upwards. The Genesis Blade barreled towards him at an unbelievable rate, even faster than the first attack Kakkhan had dodged. It made his ki barrier pale with all of its blue intensity. Doubt—

A yowl of anger and words the Saiyan barely heard announced the presence of another. Alarmed, Kakkhan peeked through his arms and utterly abandoned any endeavors at maintaining his composure.

"Lotto!" he shouted upon seeing his akuma Guardian leap lightly in front of him. He started forward, but the neko ignored him, instead facing the onslaught of blue energy charging at It. Its red eyes gleamed uncannily in the light thrown off from the hybrid attack, as if It were preparing to execute a miracle and stop the Genesis Blade.

The image would haunt Kakkhan's every waking moment for the rest of his days on Earth.

"LOTTO!" The scream did no justice to the agony, the shock, the trauma that the Saiyan felt as he saw his akuma struck by the Genesis Blade. Lotto was ripped immediately to pieces, but instead of disintegrating, the parts floated like gruesome phantoms in midair.

The Genesis Blade struggled against the components, even as one of these constituents defected from the main army. This division charged Kakkhan and plunged into his heart, even as the Genesis Blade was swallowed by the other parts formerly making up his Lotto.

Kakkhan did not feel the ki barrier shatter around him; he did not notice that he had dropped out of Super Saiyan Two into his normal form. All of his attention was focused on the pain wracking his body; he did not even hear the horrible screams he emitted or acknowledge the crowds of people gathering around him. He did not understand when later he was described as the definition of "writhing." All he knew, all he cared about, was that his heart felt like it was about to explode.

As soon as he thought that, the monster within reached the very organ of his thoughts and forced it open.

:-:-:-:

_'Legendary Lord,' an insistent voice called. He opened his eyes and immediately wished to shut them in opposition to the light confronting him. His eyelids disobeyed his will and remained open. _

_'Legendary Lord,' the tone commanded again. He glanced around; he started at the sight of a hominid regarding him with fondness. 'Do I know you?' he questioned, straining for the reason for familiarity that so suddenly assaulted him. _

_'Surely,' the hominid responded, smiling at him affectionately. 'I did rather flatter myself with the honor of being your Guardian.'_

'_Lotto?' he gasped. 'B-but—'_

'_Yes,' the hominid replied calmly. 'I died with the Genesis Blade. I had to. You would not have had very much of a chance of survival if that attack had hit you.' _

'_But did you have to plant yourself right in front of it?' he asked desperately, knowing the hominid's answer. _

'_Yes,' the biped answered. 'I did, Legendary Lord. But, I am not leaving you without something to protect you. My duty _was_ to guard you, and I intend to do so even beyond my physical existence.' _

_He gaped at the hominid. He felt very foolish as he did, but he did gape. 'You forced a piece of yourself into my heart, didn't you?' _

'_I gave you _my_ heart, Legendary Lord,' the hominid corrected gently. 'Now no death may come to you through that quarter.' _

'_Because an akuma's heart simply regenerates whatever it loses,' he rejoined dazedly. 'Lotto—'_

'_Do not thank me, Legendary Lord,' the hominid admonished him. 'Just remember me from time to time, visit the Demon Dimension every so often, and live. Do not grieve me overmuch, Saiyanling, for I have only advanced your immortality.' _

'_Why?' he inquired bitterly. 'For what purpose was my immortality given to me? It's a curse—I don't want it.' _

_The hominid only smiled. 'You have not asked that question in a long time, Legendary Lord,' It commented. 'I am glad you are regressing.' The eyes laughed at him in much the way that the neko did, causing him to choke unexpectedly. 'There now, Legendary Lord, I'd best let you go. You're starting already.' _

'_Lotto—' he said again, for that was the only thing he _could_ say. The hominid smiled again and drew him into a hug as gentle as the grin. He felt the warmth as from a distance, however, as images blurred upwards past him rather as if he were falling. _

:-:-:-:

Menrui dashed up the porch stairs of the abode he shared with Kakkhan on the mauled street of Marguerite's Hope. Just from entering the gate he had sensed his twin's intolerable desolation—what had caused such an emotion to enter his stronger brother's heart? What force could be so fierce to overwhelm him so?

The demi-Saiyan streaked through the corridor that led to their rooms. In next to no time (that nonetheless seemed like an eon in his reference frame) he stood at Kakkhan's door. He stared at the unmoving lump curled into an ellipse, at the face hidden from his view, at the tears flowing down the pallid face uncontrollably.

He found the sight of those tears to be foreign and perturbing. As far as he had ever known Kakkhan, he had never seen him cry like this. His foot moved tentatively forward; his mind, though numb, was quicker in reaching out.

_Kakkhan?_ he called. No return answer assaulted him; the foot stopped and the mind retreated. Menrui reeled from the fresh assailing of despair enough that he had to grasp the desk beside him to stay upright. A crackle turned him eagerly away from the sight of his twin. To his surprise he found a sheet of paper wrinkling under his hand. He also saw the fountain pen that Kakkhan rarely used open on the space beside it, and anxiety drummed at him in new volumes.

Reaching tremulously for the paper, he held it up and allowed it to fall open.

Scribed in Kakkhan's handwriting almost illegibly on the processed tree bark were lines of a poem:

_The tribute to Eternity_

_Oh, how bittersweet its serenity _

_The loveliness of the moment_

_Ending in almost perpetual torment_

_Will this grief never end? _

_Perhaps someday I'll be on the mend. _

_Not now; now is for sobs wracking_

_And insufferable hacking _

_As the tribute to Eternity_

_Dispassionately discards its vitality._

:-:-:-:

A/n: (Sadness and Gloom)

Allati: Oh, cheer up, SP! It's no big deal...

SP: (Sniffs) Sigh... the poem's mine. No taking. Goes under the category "handful of other things that are my creation alone" in disclaimer. (Points up) Neat little clause I've got there, eh? Comes in handy. (Smiles slightly)

Allati: Yes... (Sweatdrops)

SP: Now, now, I'm sure you're wondering _why_ I killed off Lotto, our lovable neko akuma. Well... I'm not telling you! (Snickers) Instead, I will give you a hint: remember that talk I had somewhere (maybe even in Giendonese Warrior) about how Kakkhan's immortal, but not really? Yeah. Go find it, reread it, and perhaps you'll understand. LOL.

Anyway! My apologies for updating six months after the last chapter. There's nothing I really can say to extenuate my cause, because anything I _could_ use would instead be turned against me in a court of fanfiction law under the classification of "excuse." (Sweatdrops) So I'm going to spare myself that humility and merely get cracking on the next one. Don't want to be killed here. LOL!

Allati: That's very smart, SP.

SP: I know... (Mournful) On that same note, I am not including a sneak preview of the next chapter, because frankly I don't have it written, I don't even know what's going to happen next chapter, and I wanted to get this chapter out as soon as possible. If you're upset, wait until next chapter to yell at me. I'll have a sneak preview for you then. 'Kay?

A very, very, very, very, very, very _late_ thank you goes out to **Hiaburi**, **lpgohanfanatic**, and **Exiled Rain**. I hope you guys come back for more! (Sweatdrops)

Bye everyone!

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN;** Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 06.15.06_


	16. A Brief Turnabout

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

_Warnings: None _

:-:-:-:

Previously on **Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**—

_Reaching tremulously for the paper, he held it up and allowed it to fall open. _

_Scribed in Kakkhan's handwriting almost illegibly on the processed tree bark were lines of a poem:_

:-:-:-:

Chapter Sixteen: A Brief Turnabout

:-:-:-:

It was fortunate that Menrui shed his consternation after the first afternoon. It was he who got Kakkhan out of bed, slapped him across the face, and frog-marched him to the kitchen for breakfast day after day for that entire week. Everywhere Kakkhan looked, Menrui was there, either fussing at him or discreetly keeping an eye on him.

Any other time the Saiyan would have been annoyed by this behavior, but he was grateful at this time because he couldn't seem to do anything right. Any dish he picked up trembled in his grip, any pen soon dropped, and he found that the television wouldn't respond to his commands either.

Menrui rescued him time after time, even going above and beyond the call of duty by obviating some of Kakkhan's problems. His energy made his brother feel old and creaky; this revelation caused Kakkhan to resolve to do more; it would be a resolution that went unfulfilled. For the Saiyan's mind wandered, frequently returning to Lotto's death or circling in an incessant spiral of questions about the future.

"He's dead too, you know."

Kakkhan blinked before slowly turning to look up at Menrui's somber regard.

"Your assassin," Menrui clarified. "He's dead."

"Oh," Kakkhan replied eloquently. A few more seconds passed before he though to elaborate. "He tried to use the Genesis Blade by himself. Of course he died."

Eagerly it seemed, Menrui pursued the topic. "Why?"

"Hm?" Kakkhan looked up from his blank gaze out of the window again. Menrui reiterated his query.

"Because Balannon and I designed the attack for two people," Kakkhan told him absently. He returned to the window. "There's too much Spirit power needed to pull that move off for a single person. Even if they were able to actually launch the attack, the person would be drained of all Spirit power, even their life force. So of course the assassin died."

This was the longest Kakkhan had spoken in the week since his neko killed Itself to protect him. Menrui could sense he wouldn't be getting any more out of his twin, so he left him alone. He instead trotted over to the phone and proceeded to punch in the numbers of a very familiar presence.

Even the gods don't know how it was done. Only minutes after he put down the phone, Menrui had to answer a knock on the door. Fidgeting on the porch were Bulma and Chichi, the very two people Menrui had requested. Two blurs whizzed by him through the entrance; he later heard childish queries he knew did not come from the two women in front of him.

"They insisted upon coming with us," Bulma shrugged by way of apology. Menrui nodded mutely and allowed them in.

"It may actually be good for Kakkhan that they came," he murmured. "Thanks for coming so quickly. I didn't know you were close by."

"Vegeta mentioned only this morning that Kakkhan had had a visitor some time ago," Bulma muttered waspishly. "Obviously I told him off." Menrui cracked a brief smile as he led them into the living room.

"Oh my," Chichi gasped. Menrui understood her reaction; Kakkhan sat stone still as Goten and Trunks tried everything possible to gain his attention for any measure of time longer than a second. Occasionally Kakkhan would glance at them, but he always did so with that same blank face—

"Thanks you two. You've given me an idea already. Pardon me." Menrui abandoned the women he'd brought into his home and strode over to his brother.

"Come on, you. You've done enough of that," he told the figure sternly. Seizing him by the arm, he began to drag his twin away. An unexpected jerk almost caused him to stumble.

"Don't pull me," Kakkhan commanded him. The cold was starting to thaw in the face of the sudden anger simmering in him. What precisely gave Menrui the right to decide whether Kakkhan had done enough or not?

"I'll pull you if I want to," Menrui answered, his own voice but a growl. "If you don't want me to pull you, don't make me want to."

"Oh, yeah?" Kakkhan snarled. He would have taken another threatening step, but his arms were captured from behind and two bodies thrust themselves in his way.

"STOP IT!"

As quickly as it'd come, the anger went away. Kakkhan's vision cleared and presented him with the sight of a hassled looking Bulma, a worried Chichi, and a challenging Menrui. He felt the spiking kis of Goten and Trunks behind him.

"Stop it," Chichi reiterated, her worry turning her voice into a shout. "I will not have you fighting and breaking any of the fine furniture you have in here."

"Is that what you were doing? Trying to get me to fight?" Kakkhan glanced at Menrui's acquiescing gaze. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea."

A grin fluttered onto his brother's face. "I was trying to snap you out of your numbness."

"Oh, you did," Kakkhan retorted. He turned to the eight-year-olds still hanging desperately onto his arms. Menrui narrowed his eyes as his brother interacted with the Hurricanes.

"What were you saying about the fight?" Menrui heard himself ask. "That it wasn't a bad idea?"

"That's right," Kakkhan answered, still with his back turned to Menrui. Bulma and Chichi exchanged significant looks; Menrui sighed dramatically.

"That's it Kakkhan. You and I are going to actually have that fight." He pounced on Kakkhan again and succeeded this time in convincing his brother to follow.

Once they had rattled through the secret trapdoor and into the G-dome, Menrui forced Kakkhan to let his emotions out anew. In the manner more traditional of Saiyans, Kakkhan allowed the sacrifice of Lotto to affect him anew.

:-:-:-:

"You're feeling better, I can tell," Menrui observed at the buffet-a-thon Chichi had whipped up while he and Kakkhan were sparring. Or should he phrase that as 'Kakkhan using him as a dummy?'

"Hm?" the aforementioned Saiyan glanced up from his mammoth turkey sandwich. "Yeah, I guess I am."

He bit into the concoction in his hands, chewed, swallowed. "Of course it could be that _and_ the food here in front of us."

Menrui grinned. Bulma was ignoring the sight of her child and Goten delightedly, now that Kakkhan somewhat resembled normalcy, gobbling up the luxuries in their field of vision. Instead, with a practiced ease, she was sipping at her own cup of tea and gossiping with Chichi about the benefits of a self-refilling refrigerator.

Kakkhan suddenly sighed. "It'll take a while for Lotto's death to go away, Ru. This is only the beginning," he declared. He ignored the glances his brother exchanged with Chichi and Bulma.

"But it's not just the death, right?" asked Menrui. "It's something else."

"Yeah," sighed the Saiyan again. "Lotto not only died, but It gave me Its heart. It was in pieces, Ru, and holding back the Genesis Blade, but It still gave me Its heart. Am I so worthy of such a sacrifice? No, don't answer that. I know what you're going to say."

He released another drawn breath. Everyone watched him now, including the Hurricanes looking up curiously as their mouths chewed. He cast his eyes up at them and raised an eyebrow. A smile creased his mouth and, beginning to chuckle, he looked away.

"What's so funny?" someone inquired. Kakkhan turned back and faced them again, still smiling. "Oh, I was just thinking that usually it's me that looks out for everybody. Now it seems to be my turn."

While Chichi and Bulma definitively affirmed Kakkhan's observation, Menrui only beamed.

:-:-:-:

Shortly thereafter, Chichi and Bulma took off. Claiming maternal relief, they left the Hurricanes with the Paradoxes, but both Tairyoku males knew better. The eight-year-olds were really there to keep Kakkhan from numbing up again, and as far as Menrui could see, it was working.

"Ha, gotcha!" Goten grinned as he pounced on Kakkhan's larger form. The Saiyan wrestled with him playfully while Trunks giggled traitorously from behind the closet door in Menrui's room nearby. Menrui shook his head as he headed into the living room to turn on the news.

"Kakkhan!" he called, his hand frozen on the remote. "Kakkhan!"

Goten hanging around his neck, the Saiyan skidded into the room at the mention of his name. He was also arrested by the images on the screen of a certain brunette, pale and small, lying in a hospital bed and tubes everywhere.

_"Kidao Lime, after disappearing for a week, is a leukemia victim who's regressed into worse conditions after being declared clean for the past year. At this moment, she is hospitalized at the General Hospital of Mumito City where she is receiving her usual treatments of chemotherapy. After her disappearance, her family is grateful that, quote, 'she's even alive. We had no idea where she had gone, and now that she's back—'"_

The reporter on the screen was interrupted as Menrui clicked the television off. By now Kakkhan had already sat down on the couch, his face a study in stoicism. The atmosphere had tensed again and, as seemed to be quickly usual, it centered on Kakkhan.

"Kakkhan?" Trunks asked, obviously hating to be clueless about the happenings. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," the inquired responded. "Now I know why she wouldn't talk to me."

"You don't hate her for it, do you?" Menrui chimed in, the relief he held palpable in his stance. "What are you going to do?"

"What can I do?" Kakkhan retorted, glancing at his brother. "I'm going to visit her, duh."

"I'm going with you," Menrui announced, stopping only briefly Kakkhan's movement off of the couch. The immortal spared a short nod for him as he swung Trunks up with his free arm and carried them out of the door. Menrui followed Kakkhan into the air, the both of them ignoring any risk of exposure they took with such an action.

They graced Mumito City with their presence soon after they had dropped the Hurricanes back off at Capsule to the complaints of their mothers. It was no trouble at all for them to locate the hospital where Lime's ki resided; the difficulty lay in squeezing by the admissions desk. With a distraction rescuing them, they slipped by the frazzled receptionist and quietly dodged security, doctors, and nurses on their way to Lime's room.

"Lime-san," Menrui called softly as they approached her bed. The brunette's eyes fluttered open, blinked feebly before she recognized them.

"Menrui-san? W-what are you doing here?" she stammered, too weak to seem properly surprised. Menrui did not answer her inquisition as Kakkhan strolled up by his side, having been checking out the door for any security.

"Hello, Lime-san," Kakkhan greeted wearily while Menrui went to take his spot. He thought that Lime gasped, but the whir of the machines she was plugged up to distracted him. "How are you?"

"O-okay," she replied. Kakkhan definitely heard the tremor in her voice and decided to make her more comfortable. "Relax, Lime-san," he told her, settling into the chair beside her bed. "I'm not mad at you."

"You aren't?"

He shook his head. "I can understand a bit more why you refused to talk, but you could have saved me a lot of worry," he informed her. He suspected that release from this worry had made Lime even more tired, for she could now barely keep her eyes open.

"Y-you lied," a yawn interrupted her speech, "to me. You lied. You told me you weren't the Giendonese Warrior." Her eyes fully closed as she said the previous line, but she still had enough momentum to say softly: "But you are."

Kakkhan stared at the prone figure lying in front of him. When she did she open _that_ up again? Several minutes passed before he remembered. "Oh, please," he muttered to himself. "She could _not_ have been there when I was fighting the assassin."

"Actually, she could have been," Menrui offered from the door. "Let's go, Kakkhan. Blue shirts," he stated by way of explanation.

His brother nodded, cocked an eye at Lime again, then headed toward the window at the far end of Lime's room. Trailing him out onto the tiny windowsill, Menrui only stopped long enough to close the glass behind him.

Then, in the sky, the Paradoxes abandoned the hospital and the revelation it had engendered for Kakkhan.

"Was she actually there at the fight, Ru? Did you see her?" Kakkhan asked.

Menrui shook his head. "I wasn't actually there, Khan. I was at Capsule talking to Vegeta and Goku about updating the G-dome, remember? I had a time of it too," he reminisced with a shake of his head. "It also took me some time to get to you from Capsule when I felt you put that ki barrier up. Mrs. Briefs wanted me to sample her cookies."

"How were they?" smirked Kakkhan.

"To be honest, food was not on my mind at the moment," Menrui admitted. Kakkhan snorted in reply.

"Chichi would flip if she heard you say that," he commented to Menrui's assent.

"So what do you feel like doing now? We're out of the house, we're free of the Hurricanes, we've visited Lime-san, and we're in Mumito. Feel up to a bit of sightseeing?" Menrui questioned challengingly.

"Sure," he acceded, not especially eager to go home where Lotto had died, Lime-san had possibly seen him, and Philaren Tetalar lay in the morgue waiting to be claimed. He'd better do something about the body soon, he told himself. Else the Laniins were likely to think Tetalar had defected too. He'd also have to deal with the problem of the other people who had seen the Giendonese Warrior; his best hope was that the people hadn't seen him before he'd ascended.

The boys landed in an alley, startling a raggedy cat. Kakkhan instantly moved to restrain Menrui from starting after the animal; the mortal rolled his eyes.

"Ha, ha, very funny, Kakkhan," he scowled. He shrugged loose of Kakkhan's hold, slid his spectacles further up on his nose, and sauntered off. Kakkhan caught him easily and walked through the streets of the city.

Unlike Blue Star City, the Paradoxes were not hailed by every other person they met. In fact, they were greeted not at all. Kakkhan didn't really know why he had expected to see any familiar faces here; he supposed he had become so used to his apparent fame that its absence unnerved him.

Menrui nudged him unobtrusively and in the same manner pointed out a group of girls. Kakkhan didn't need to look to know the girls were eyeing them; he rolled his eyes.

'What is it with girls and us?' he asked rhetorically, irritated. His brother shrugged, then slowed as the girls positioned themselves in front of them.

"Hi boys," the apparent leader trilled in an effort to be coy. Kakkhan snorted again as another girl tossed her hair; Menrui remained unsmiling. They should have brought Theron with them, he contemplated grimly. Never mind that it's impossible for dogs to fly.

'I agree,' Kakkhan informed him as they gazed impassively at the horde of females beginning to surround them. Out of a tactic born from experience, the Paradoxes remained silent and unmoving as the unwanted company simpered and batted its eyelashes futilely at them. They stove off foolhardy approaches with what they hoped were penetrating girls (it being so long since they'd thought about evading girls).

The leader girl still came on to Kakkhan, trailing her hand across his clavicle. His black eyes looked at the hand and glanced back at its owner; she, instinctively it appeared, withdrew it and tried Menrui. She was glared off before she could try.

"Hmpf! It seems these _boys_ don't know good quality when they see it," she sniffed abruptly. "Come on girls, let's go find some _real_ men." The girls all conformed and flounced off, though two did admire them lingeringly. Finally they were gone.

The Paradoxes began to walk as if nothing had happened.

They had spent a scarce hour in Mumito looking at the famous landmarks. They were standing before the famous broken statue of Lupe the Clever when a knell in the back of Kakkhan's mind resounded.

"Did you feel that?" Menrui demanded. Kakkhan did not answer; he simply seized Menrui and reached out into the effervescent air. His hand disappeared as he performed this action; Menrui spluttered when he saw Kakkhan vanishing little by little and he along with him.

"Kakkhan!"

:-:-:-:

A/n: Muahahahahah! I am back in terms of evilness! Nya, nya, nya aah! Hee... So, what's going to happen? I know! (Waves cheerfully) And, and this time I have a sneak preview! Aren't you all so happy?

:-:-:-:

SNEAK PREVIEW OF: Demonic Inheritance

_He looked up. _'I had a feeling that I should have brought him. Was I wrong?'

_The shadows in front of him emanated negativity. _'No, Legendary Lord, you were not. For there is still something for him in the City that he himself must face alone.'

:-:-:-:

Thanks to **lpgohanfanatic**, the lone reviewer, for being faithful! (Glares at the huddled masses of loser readers who haven't reviewed) Think I should give out chapter dedications to get reviewers? (Is obviously desperate)

You all had better review this time, for I have an astonishing (for this series at any rate) **four** chapters already written! You _do_ want to know what's going to happen, right? So then cough those words of encouragement and/or constructive criticism up! (Waggles fingers expectantly, scowling)

Bye all!

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN; **Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 08.02.06_


	17. Demonic Inheritance

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

_Warnings: Exorbitant Chapter Length, 95 Percent Dialogue, Slight (?) Angst _

:-:-:-:

Previously on **KK:ISZF**—

_"Did you feel that?" Menrui demanded. Kakkhan did not answer; he simply seized Menrui and reached out into the effervescent air. His hand disappeared as he performed this action; Menrui spluttered when he saw Kakkhan vanishing little by little and he along with him. _

_"Kakkhan!"_

:-:-:-:

Chapter Seventeen: Demonic Inheritance

:-:-:-:

_They found they stood before the opening gates of a well-known City. InuYasha appeared to greet them in Its customary way (Kakkhan pushed away the ache in his soul that occurred when no other akuma greeted them). _

'Well! If it ain't the (censored) Paradoxes. The Demon Gods want you both, Legendary Lord and Prince of Puzzles. You know where to (censored) go,'_ It snarled. _

'What do they want us for, Inu?' _Kakkhan, as usual, was impassive. _

'How do I know? I ain't a (censored) Demon God!' _The akuma's tail lashed the air; Menrui raised his eyebrows. The akuma possessed more anxiety than It wished to let on. _

'All right, calm down, Inu,' _he commanded the pacing red-eyed daemon while Kakkhan went on into the City. _"I'm not going to tolerate your hysterics.'

_He hid a smile as the akuma glared at him and did exactly what Menrui was scolding him for: flew into hysterics. Rolling his eyes instead, Menrui placed his footsteps in Kakkhan's and instantly zoomed up to the Tower. _

_Accustomed to the disoriented ride, he caught the surprised expression that flitted over the face of a passing Vendor. He only nodded at her politely and continued on to the Tower, its multi-structural facet scattering light wherever he looked at it. He smiled slightly at the sight, his mind taking him to the first time he had seen that Tower. _

_Meanwhile Kakkhan had already bulled up the stairs and burst into the Gods' room. The building sense of urgency propelled him to the very center of the platform to stand, soldier-like, facing the thrones. _

'Legendary Lord, we thank you for your haste. It is not coincidence your companion, the Prince of Puzzles, lingers out of the Tower, for Fate has decreed this meeting to be held alone,' _he heard. _

_He looked up. _'I had a feeling that I should have brought him. Was I wrong?'

_The shadows in front of him emanated negativity. _'No, Legendary Lord, you were not. For there is still something for him in the City that he himself must face alone.'

:-:-:-:

'So what'd They say to you, Khan? You were in there for some time,' _Menrui remarked as Kakkhan strolled up to him. The Saiyan shed his pensive look for his normal sarcastic tone as he registered the request. _

'Oh, They just wanted to talk to me about the inheritance I received from Lotto.' _He made a face. _

'Inheritance? What would that entail?' _Menrui skipped ahead and began walking backwards in order to better see Kakkhan's face. Kakkhan smirked. _

'Oh, just the four powers that It gave to me along with Its heart.' _He managed to sound flippant; Menrui did not let the tone fool him. _

'You wondered why you were given these "powers," didn't you?' _he inquired shrewdly. Kakkhan only glared at him and walked faster, causing Menrui to shuffle faster through the streets of the City to stay ahead of him. _

_Finally Menrui gave up and face forward again. _'So? What were the powers that Lotto bequeathed to you?'

_Kakkhan made another face as they entered the bazaar where Menrui's pendant had announced its presence. _'Eh. Fine. The first one I've already used: It's called dimensional transportation, and that's how we got here to the City.'

'Really? That's awesome!' _Menrui exclaimed excitedly. _'Do you have to do anything in return for getting this transportation?'

_Moodily Kakkhan nodded. _'I've got to sacrifice something for it. For all of them, in fact, since I'm not an akuma but have an akuma's heart.'

'Oh. That explains why you're not happier about this,' _Menrui informed him tartly._ 'Go on, tell me about the sacrifice.'

_He halted with Kakkhan and watched as the latter rubbed a hand over his face. He stood patiently for his brother, knowing even if Kakkhan didn't that it needed to be said._

'Well. I'll be giving them my memories of the Warphole and Instant Transmission techniques,' _the Saiyan finally admitted. _'And...I have to yield my tail.'

'WHAT?' _Menrui shouted, utterly outraged. _'What makes Them think They can ask for that?'

'That was precisely my reaction, only milder,' _grinned Kakkhan ironically. _'Apparently the dimensional transport is such a basic ability to an akuma that to get it, I need to give something of equal worth to me. That would be my tail, it seems.'

'That's ridiculous,' _Menrui spluttered._ 'Why couldn't They require something else of you—'

'Do you think I'd allow them to take my brother, then? Because you're really the only other someone that is worth so much to me,' _Kakkhan snapped. Menrui stared at him in shock, startled out of his rant. Kakkhan rolled his eyes and began walking again. _

'These powers are being given to me because when Lotto died, I was at a crossroads. I chose my path, no thanks to you,' _he grumbled under his breath. Menrui smiled briefly, a flash of white to match the porcelain skin around it. _

'I chose my path, and the abilities Lotto gave me are a part of that path. Whether or not I'd have gotten them if I didn't take this path, I didn't ask. I didn't want to know.'

'I don't blame you,' _Menrui murmured. Kakkhan spared a hasty smirk for him._

'I figured you would,' _he stated slyly. Menrui glowered at him, pushed him in a silent order to continue._

'Right. So that's the first power.' _Kakkhan went on to describe the other three powers and their sacrifices._

_First, in addition to the dimensional transportation, Kakkhan had found that Lotto had bestowed upon him the capacity to know when he was needed and where, as well as a vague idea of the why. However, this power would not be awakened just yet; Kakkhan had been relieved to know this as surely he would go mad with all of the calls for help that he would undoubtedly receive. _

'Why would you need this power?' _Menrui inquired, obvious question marks hanging over his head. Kakkhan only rolled his eyes and shook his head. _

'Don't get me started on that road again. It only leads to madness,' _he quipped. _

_The penultimate strength explained to him happened to be that he could now regulate his life forces in such a way as he saw fit. He could augment his strength beyond what he was limited to if the need was great; far easier to perform was the reverse function. This allowed Kakkhan to cramp his power to fit the boundaries of the world he found himself in where required._

'However, this ability has no affect in my "home dimension," as They called it, or the next power. I am welcome to come here or any other dimension to practice using it, though, to use Their words.'

_This time it was Menrui who rolled his eyes. Kakkhan agreed. _

'And finally, there's thing called the Commingling power. It's where I get to have an uncanny way of blending into the landscape of whatever dimension I wander into. It's limited to how well I could blend if I'm not the same species or don't look like the same species, which makes having this talent make no sense.'

'I'm wondering again why you would even need it in the first place,' _Menrui muttered. Kakkhan raised both of his eyebrows and gazed at his brother, a clear order to cease echoing his thoughts. _

'So, then, what are the sacrifices?' _he questioned as he idly picked up a glove. He dropped it hastily when the palm opened up and tried to bite him. _

'Oh, boy.' _Kakkhan sighed._ 'I've talked enough here, bro, why can't you talk for a while?' _he whined suddenly, an obvious imitation of Tomori. _

_He reflected that he was a bad influence on his brother as Menrui pinned him with a penetrating glare. _

'Fine,' _he grouched. _'I have to give up living on Earth in order to get the second power, the Foreknowledge. Don't interrupt me, Ru, I'm not going to get through this all if you do.'

_Menrui shut his mouth with an audible clack. _

'Thank you. As for—oh, for Kami's sake. You're not going to stop looking at me like that until I explain.' _He blew out a breath. _'The Gods told me that that disavowal was a part of the path I'd chosen. Then They told me, when I didn't buy that, that my immortality would cause me to stand out in an ephemeral planet such as Earth, where everyone and everything is constantly changing and I don't.'

_Menrui released a bitter breath. _'That was low,' _he growled. Kakkhan nodded. _'Yes, but it was still true. Shall I go on now?'

_He scowled at Menrui then went on anyway._ 'The Regulation wants my Super Saiyan Levels from Three on. I'll be getting a level They called Mystic in return as a sort of bonus.'

'An apology, you mean,' _Menrui snorted. _'Still, that does seem reasonable.'

_They began to walk slowly towards the gates of the City. _'It does, doesn't it? Makes you think there is a God.'

'Oh, ha, ha, very funny,' _Menrui grumbled as Kakkhan snickered. _'Sheesh.'

'I crack myself up sometimes,' _Kakkhan pronounced proudly. Menrui had only the presence of mind to smack him upside the head. _

'Yow!' _This time Menrui laughed as Kakkhan glared at him. _'Do you want to hear the last sacrifice or not?'

'Oh, come on, don't do that to me. Tell,' Menrui enjoined crossly.

'You're the one who's hitting me all the time,' _Kakkhan retorted. _'Hmph. Anyway, you know my Shadow Body Level? The one where I become one with the shadows?'

'No way. You have to surrender that?' _Menrui gasped. Kakkhan shook his head, the habitual mischievous grin stretching across his face._

'Nah. I just have to give it to somebody else,' _he declared, the distant twinkling shining brightly. _

'Wha? Who're you giving it to?' _Menrui questioned innocently, his eyes wide. Kakkhan shot him a look that told him his stupidity; he protested,_ 'What?'

'It's you, Menrui. You should know that.' _Kakkhan sighed irritably as Menrui blinked at him, shocked speechless anew. _'Oh, stop that, Ru. Don't tell me you've still got self-esteem issues.'

'Oh, no,' _Menrui, finding his voice, denied. _'I just never thought about having your Shabo, that's all, honestly!'

'Hmm.' _Kakkhan narrowed his eyes. _'Well, you're going to have it, but not yet. Since the only power that's really manifested in me is the dimensional transportation, that's the only thing I have to sacrifice for before the first day of next month. All the rest except for the Foreknowledge one is afterwards,' _Kakkhan told his brother as they returned outside the gates of the City. _'I told the Gods I wanted to do it on the spot, but They insisted They needed to make preparations.'

'Huh,' _Menrui snorted. Kakkhan smirked his own perception of the mockery. _'So, what did you do while in the City, dear brother?' _Kakkhan asked. _

'I ran across the Northwest Librarian,' _he replied while a look of baffled apprehension crossed his face. _'She and I had a very...**interesting** conversation about my pendant.'

'Oh?' _Kakkhan inquired as he captured the other Paradox's sleeve and **jumped**. _The world of Earth shimmered into view around them as Kakkhan looked at Menrui expectantly. "Yes? The pendant?"

"H-how did you do that?" Menrui stuttered. Kakkhan merely looked at him impatiently; the past counterpart caught the glare and hurriedly recollected his wits. "Uh... Oh, yes, my pendant. Yes, it's rather a weird situation. She told me that my pendant is actually an immortality chain."

"An immortality chain? Is it supposed to extend your life as long as you wear it and never take it off?" Kakkhan inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"That's basically what she told me," Menrui shrugged. "But she also said that my pendant was a barrier against the darkness in my soul."

"But that doesn't make sense. You had that pendant on when you destroyed the Androids. How could it be a barrier?" Clearly skepticism was a good friend to Kakkhan this day.

"That's what I said," huffed Menrui, pushing his false glasses further up his nose. "She just looked at me and said, 'You boys just don't listen, do you?'" Menrui had pitched his voice higher and adopted the Librarian's snippety tone. "'I _said_ it was a barrier to your darkness. I _didn't_ say the pendant wouldn't stop you from dipping into that darkness. Quite the other way around, I assure you!'"

As Kakkhan collapsed with laughter, Menrui puffed out another breath. "Why is it that librarians are always testy, fastidious women with a tendency to view books as their children?"

"She thought of the books as her children?" Kakkhan repeated, guffaws breaking his speech into incoherent patterns.

"Yeah," Menrui replied. "Kept cooing at them as if they were babies," he added. Immediately Kakkhan's eyes streamed and he seemed as if he were about to choke; laughter burst out of him in deep bellyfuls and shaking his shoulders, making Kakkhan seem as if he was actually crying.

Menrui looked at his brother in shock; never before had he seen Kakkhan laugh so hard like this in all the time he'd known him.

"I've never heard you laugh like that before," he told Kakkhan quietly, suddenly, tentatively testing. Kakkhan's return look confirmed his suspicions. He grinned. "You've learned your lesson about keeping things in, I take it?"

"I don't want to be beaten quite like that ever again," Kakkhan grumbled. Menrui pushed him away playfully and said in the same manner:

"You know you loved it. Besides, why are you complaining? You skinned me at the end."

"At the end," his brother retorted darkly. Menrui only beamed again; everything was all right again, for the time being.

:-:-:-:

A week later, Kakkhan needed Menrui's help once more, but not for any enormous spiritual problems. No, this time it was in matters of balance that so encumbered the Saiyan: His tail had been cut off courtesy of the mischievous Flint in the dreaded sacrifice for the dimensional transportation. Menrui, while stifling laughs until later, scurried about catching his brother before he fell. Sometimes he wasn't on time, however.

Ten days after Kakkhan finally began to walk properly, the Demon Gods summoned him again. He was introduced to the bird akuma, Sanyuu, and told that It had volunteered to become the familiar of a ki breaker. The daemon needed to be taken to Its human.

However, it would turn out the human's talent wasn't the only reason Sanyuu had decided to be her familiar.

'So a familiar is different from a Guardian only by the permission granted to the akuma to live in Its other's home dimension?' _Kakkhan was asking as they neared the vantage-point that opened up on their destination. _

The bird akuma, Sanyuu, like all daemons, had red eyes, a wet-seeming film over Its feathers, and the customary forked tail. But instead of fangs, Its beak was one mean hook capable of tearing through a human's bones; the talons held the same capacity for such an action.

'Indeed,' _It shrieked as they burst through the opening made for them. _'And now, Legendary Lord, I would have thee speak **quietly**.'

What the akuma meant, Kakkhan found out a second later. For as he tried to interrogate the daemon, all that came out of his mouth was a soundless whisper rather like a voice on the wind.

The human whose room they occupied sat bolt upright upon her bed. She scrambled back towards her headboard, snatching up the sheets on her way and holding them close to her chest. She crossed her arms over the sheets and drew up her legs; all through her quick, panicked motions her grey eyes searched wildly.

'_Relax,'_ Kakkhan tried to command her. He only succeeded in causing her to cringe even more; luckily Sanyuu came to the human's rescue.

'_Hush, human,' _It cawed at her, flapping over to perch above her on the headboard. The akuma stared down at the head of Its familiar still curled up under It; clearly It was attempting to get into the human's mind and soothe her.

Feeling a mix of dislocation and helplessness, Kakkhan turned away from the sight. He took a step towards the window and gazed out at the small patch of sky afforded him; the rest of the view was blocked menacingly by the looming building neighboring them. Kakkhan supposed it was a series of apartment complexes he'd stumbled onto, wherever he was. It rather reminded him of Hayley and her domicile in Lehigh's Realm.

'_I am here,'_ he heard the bird akuma behind him say, _'to fulfill thy wish for a companion. Since thy desperation appeared to lie with humanity, I decided to take the role before the Fates closed the window on me.'_

He did not hear the girl respond, but he could guess when Sanyuu reassured her that daemons were not evil. He held back a snort and returned his gaze to the window.

That really wasn't a bad looking building, he surmised, taking a closer look at the building across from him. He tried to ignore the quiet certainties Sanyuu offered to the girl on the Legendary Lord's behalf; he cursed the evil, evil person that had had the gall to assault this girl. Even from here, he could feel the fear and remembered pain; anyone with half a brain could see from the behavior that Sanyuu's girl had been raped.

Not a pleasant way to get your first taste of sex, he thought grimly. Still, she's alive. She's lucky.

He heard Sanyuu tell his human that to reveal his daemon name to her in this dimension was dangerous. She must choose his new name if she accepted his proposal of companionship. It was then that Kakkhan understand what he was here for. He was to be witness to the beginning of a new Guardianship similar to his and Lotto's. The pain he thought had been receding from his heart sent up a new root, only to quickly wither away when the human unhesitatingly renamed Sanyuu as "Akihito."

'_Akihito,'_ he called suddenly, turning his head to the side. He couldn't see the human stare at him again, but he was sure that was what she must be doing. _'Akihito,'_ he said again. _'I'm leaving. I will return if I am needed.'_

He placed a hand on the window as if to force it open. To his surprise and subconscious delight, his hand passed through the window, though he still felt the sill under his fingers.

_'Legendary Lord.'_

He stopped, but did only that.

_'I am in thy debt.'_

He turned his head again, slightly, and inclined it in acknowledgement. Then he hoisted himself up on the windowsill and pushed off. The shadows of the claustrophobic alley below him reached out for him; not feeling up to the wind in his hair, Kakkhan abandoned his plan of flight and jumped down two stories instead.

On his way he molded with the shade in time to avoid a man with a ski mask clutching a burlap bag. He was also able to avoid the hassled-looking policewoman huffing after the ski mask. With only a thought, the ski mask tripped and went sprawling; his burlap spilled precious jewels.

Kakkhan left the alley with the policewoman standing over the ski mask and struggling with the handcuffs. A thin smile decorated his lips; he raced suddenly through a lamplight, scattering his expanded molecules through it as a swarm of dark insects through a flame. He laughed quietly as his performance raised the heads of nearby bystanders and continued on into the night, allowing the shadows to take him where they would and yet heading home.

:-:-:-:

A/n: (Pants) Whew! What a chapter! Sheesh... Well, guys, guess what? I'm almost done with the fic! (Cheers) I'm a little stuck right now, but never fear, for TheShadowPanther is here! LOL, I couldn't resist saying it. (Being silly)

Ja.

:-:-:

SNEAK PREVIEW OF: Changes

What resulted was a semi-decent human behavior; it would only extend to semi-decent because of the penchant for sardonic humor that often marred it. Kakkhan could not remember if this sarcastic raillery had been quite so evident in the former Saiyan Prince before, but he certainly noticed it now.

:-:-:-:

Thanks to **Lov3the3vil**, **lpgohanfanatic**,and, from Kakkhan 1, **Sun Knight** and **Princess Shela** for their marvelous reviews! (Bows) It's better this time around for reviews, but I still want more! (Stinkeye!)

Ciao,

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN;** Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 08.31.06_


	18. Changes

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

_Warnings: Chapter Shortness_

:-:-:-:

PO**K:ISZF**—

_He laughed quietly as his performance raised the heads of nearby bystanders and continued on into the night, allowing the shadows to take him where they would and yet heading home._

:-:-:-:

Chapter Eighteen: Changes

:-:-:-:

**_You did very well with that assassin you threw back at us, Eiranos,_** Balannon smiled at Kakkhan from the hologram plate. Kakkhan smirked grimly in return, the knowledge of the sniper's suicide tucked safely away in his mind.

**_What, defeating him, or _how _I gave him back? _**He commented with an arched eyebrow.

**_Both,_** Balannon told him, chuckling. **_Though I do admit telling the new Headmaster Gilaamu _he'd have to do better than that** **_was a bit dramatic; right up your alley._**

**_Is that his name? Gilaamu? _**Kakkhan perked up, all of his senses on alert. Balannon nodded, his own face serious; on the hologram appeared the face of a jaunty pink-pupiled Laniin in green spandex armor. Kakkhan studied the face and committed it to memory: This face belonged to his new enemy.

Finally, he asked, **_Did Gilaamu know about the assassination plot?_**

Balannon looked troubled on the hologram. **_He denied any knowledge of the event and has publicly ordered an investigation into it. However, rumors circulate..._**

**_I understand,_** nodded Kakkhan grimly. **_Does this investigation pose any problem to you?_**

Balannon smiled heartily. **_It probably will in the near future,_** he pronounced cheerfully. **_Right now they're not bothering me. _**

**_You take care of yourself when they do, _**Kakkhan insisted. **_Or I'll come and hunt you down. _**

**_Which will be easy, since you know where I live,_** the Gorthan retorted, smiles nevertheless wreathing his face. Kakkhan shot him a two-fingered salute, then switched off the globular device sitting in front of him.

Sighing, he stood up and stretched. He'd felt the ki snap out last night, so he'd better get out there and find his Gang. He didn't want them to break down without him.

He stood still in his living room and felt for a single second the world flow into him, through him, and out of him. Faint images he dared not touch for fear of breaking them flitted before his eyes (or though his mind, was it?). Songs wafted into his ears and looped around his head softly, almost beyond the reach of even excellent hearing. The nerves on the ends of his fingers twanged pleasantly as they felt wisps of a gentle fabric (was that the wind?). Even smells and tastes danced elusively out of range of his besieged mind.

Gently the world gave him something, whispered unintelligible matters to him. His eyes widened, then closed as the world retreated, irrevocably ending the moment forever.

_'What was that?'_ he muttered to himself in the snarling akuma tongue. He blinked in consternation, then sighed. As if he didn't have enough on his plate already, he grumbled. Reminded of that, he squared his shoulders.

At a recent sixteen years old in Earthling years, Tairyoku Kakkhan had finally hit that dreaded stage called puberty. Though his voice had not deepened any, his shoulders had indeed broadened, he chased Menrui now in terms of height, and his face had thinned fashionably. However, the hordes of fangirls previously plaguing him had alighted upon another target, to his mammoth relief. Kakkhan didn't know who the new victim was, but he suspected he would know soon enough.

Striding towards the door, he yanked it open just in time to catch the person on the other side.

"Kakkhan!" Midori breathed into his chest. "Did you hear?"

He shook his head no. Midori hugged him tighter, but did not say anything for long moments. He bore the silence patiently, for patience was always rewarded.

"Lime-san... She's dead, Khan-kun," his bundle finally sobbed. Kakkhan tightened his grasp for a brief moment; this was all Midori needed to break the dam.

As her wails ascended to the heaves, Kakkhan grieved, too, for the things he might have been able to do for the brunette.

:-:-:-:

Life, in the way that seems merciless to some and comforting to others, moved on. Midori did eventually cheer up and go about life with her usual boisterous energy. Kakkhan thought that she was actually more energetic, if that was possible to say; perhaps she felt driven to make up for the lost presence of the friend that the Gang had barely known.

Speaking of the Gang, everyone had reacted to Lime-san's death in varying and yet oddly similar ways. All of them had grouped around Midori after the first selfish reaction; though the girl had already shed her tears in Kakkhan's arms, she still managed to communicate her misery to her friends.

Nevertheless, the uproar of Blue Star City did eventually fade away. While the rest of the Gang attended high school in various years—the eldest were all set to graduate—Kakkhan and Menrui finished off their master's degrees and began casting about for jobs once again.

Menrui almost immediately landed a job with the nearest bookstore, greeting manga and books every day as if they were his old friends. Kakkhan himself elected to help out the old man around the corner in running his own store, if in an auxiliary capacity.

As the months melted into thin air, Kakkhan and Menrui watched as the Hurricanes and Goten's newest sister Chokiiro grew up. The Hurricanes reached Super Saiyan One at about the same time that Chokiiro started on "solid foods" (eating them as voraciously as any fully-sized Saiyan). Trunks and Goten discovered to their horror that West City had a middle school just screaming their names—much to the amusement of the Paradoxes.

Vegeta and Goku sparred every day as per usual. What was different about these spars lay in the way Vegeta behaved before and after the duel. Kakkhan, though he had been interrupted, had had a great deal of influence on the Saiyan Prince in terms of anger management—enough for the Prince to try the techniques on his own, in secret of course. When Kakkhan's promises of greater strength in battle proved true, well—Vegeta only went further, true to his all-or-nothing nature.

What resulted was a semi-decent human behavior; it would only extend to semi-decent because of the penchant for sardonic humor that often marred it. Kakkhan could not remember if this sarcastic raillery had been quite so evident in the former Saiyan Prince before, but he certainly noticed it now.

As is to be expected, he was not the only one. Krillin came away from the Capsule Dome with wide eyes and a plaintive, "Vegeta calm is scarier than Vegeta angry!"

Eighteen appeared to be nonplussed, while Yamcha and even Dende had to agree with Krillin. Piccolo on a rare visit carried a fairly civil conversation with the selfsame object of consternation.

Goku, as always, was obliviously accepting of this. Chichi was vindictively pleased about it, saying it was about time to anyone who cared to listen (which, surprisingly, was few in number). Bulma herself seemed to more or less adapt to the new situation, though she did get surprised every so often.

"I keep expecting him to blow up at the littlest things," she'd complained one day after one such surprise. "Instead he just spouts a witty retort and stalks off."

In short, the change rattled almost everyone who came into contact with it. This included the employees of Capsule, who eyed Vegeta oddly and not just because of his bizarre fighting clothes either. Kakkhan, of course, took the improved Vegeta all in stride; Menrui took longer to do so, but he, too, did the same.

Two more assassins came to try their luck against him; Kakkhan defeated them both and tossed them at Gilaamu's feet. The investigation was being put on hold in favor of more pressing economic concerns. As Kakkhan had possessed the foresight to predict, Giendon had been cut adrift in the Confederation of Ellorian Planets until such time as the planet could offer some incentive for its re-entry.

None of the Confederation members would loan precious resources out to the floundering planet, at least not yet. Balannon had a suspicion that Gilaamu was partially involved in some intelligence gathering on the other planets, focusing on the leaders or the shadier parts of the planet's economy. Blackmail would not endear Gilaamu to anyone, but the desired goal _would_ be reached.

Lotto's death, by the time a year was almost gone, ceased to plague Kakkhan's every conscious (and subconscious) moment. In its place came a determination to practice the capacities It had bequeathed to him. Kakkhan's dimension wandering increased two-fold. At the encouragement of the Demon Gods, Kakkhan began to participate in the happenings of the dimension rather than merely observing.

And at the end of the day, Kakkhan and Menrui sparred to rid themselves of excess energy.

At the moment, Menrui was focusing on fine-tuning his control of the SS2 level before trying for SS3. Kakkhan told his brother numerous times that he was fine, perfectly fine, but Menrui still insisted.

Kakkhan, on the other hand, had a different goal. The Demon Gods had taken away his Super Saiyan powers beyond SS2, but they had, as promised, given him the Mystic Level. The Saiyan had no idea what the new level was or how it was different from any of the gold-haired levels, but working to get it proved to run the same as if he wanted SS3. So Kakkhan trained, and trained hard.

Some of this resolve was born from the world-invasion (as Kakkhan termed it) he'd had months ago. It remained at the back of his head, weighing uneasily upon his soul whenever he had a singular moment's peace to think about it.

Since he'd spoken to the Demon Gods about it, he already knew that the event was not a demonic power. The Four Horsemen had all assured him that it was not a warning sent by them. Not even InuYasha had anything to offer for the Legendary Lord.

He didn't expect any more help from Earth either. Or Giendon, currently in the throes of an economic civil war (well, that was an exaggeration, but that was what it was amounting to, was it not?). And he knew it was not his imagination—

It had been too real.

So Kakkhan trained; there really was nothing else he could do and not feel helpless. Saiyans and helplessness did not mix well, after all.

Their seventeenth birthday came and went. Not long after that the Paradoxes obtained their driving licenses and could be seen zooming around town in a beaten-up old pickup truck. They had "bartered" with the salesman at the used car lot (a salesman who stereotypically was the greasiest and most unctuous man the Paradoxes had ever come across). Then Kakkhan took it into his head that motorcycles were a better form of transportation—

He ignored the storm of protest almost all of the Z-senshi put up (including Menrui). Bulma, at last, compromised by letting Kakkhan take the extra lessons but only if he rode a 'cycle that she built with all of the safety devices and protections on it that she could think of. Needless to say, Kakkhan agreed.

It would take a while before the Saiyan rode a motorcycle even in training.

It was at this age that Menrui found a girlfriend. To be accurate, Kirihara Nanao was really the one who found Menrui, coming up to him one day out of the wide blue sky and pecking him on the cheek. The action was quite out of the ordinary in "courtship rituals" in Bangoren—and no wonder, for Nanao-san had been raised in Cratisto, the country contingent with Bangoren, yes, but as different from Bangoren as day is to night.

Menrui had blushed a fierce red amusing to Kakkhan beside him. The Saiyan commented on the blush to Nanao-san, who had shrugged and told him she found Menrui to be cute. What better way to tell a guy he's hot than to kiss him?

Kakkhan nodded his approval of the reasoning (though if that logic had been applied to him, he would not nearly have been as magnanimous). He'd pushed Menrui a little bit and commanded him—

"Go with her. You know you need more sunlight than you've been getting."

"W-what?" his brother had sputtered. Any more protest was cut off by Nanao-san herself; she seized him by the wrist and began dragging him down to the nearest cinema.

Thus Menrui was snared. It proved difficult for Kakkhan, too, Menrui's entrapment. The thousands of fangirls so thankfully absent had returned, and since Menrui was out of the picture—

Theron was Kakkhan's constant companion.

Many other changes took place within the span of a year that bore little to no importance to the main story. For instance, Keiko-chan acquired a fresh cat she wanted to call Harrison Arnold, but the Gang simply termed him Cat-sama.

Cairne's ever-impetuous mother had married yet another shoe salesman, marking him as stepfather number three. Cairne predicted he'd be out by the start of the new school term in September, if not sooner.

Hayley was forced to move away (which is perhaps of more consequence than Cairne's newest stepfather and Keiko's Cat-sama); Tomorī, surprisingly, kept in touch with her and forced her to tell them all about South Boulevard, her new town.

Little changes, and bigger ones. The one constant that seemed as if it would never snap was the friendship of the Blue Star Gang. Perhaps this was for the good, perhaps it prevented all of them from new experiences with different people. But the pressing question remained: Would it last?

:-:-:-:

A/n: Bleagh. What a sordid and short chapter. After putting in some important elements, I realized that I had no idea what to write afterwards. How silly of me. (Smacks forehead) Ah well. (Shrugs)

1,000,000 apologies for the two month delay. My bio says it all, though. (Sighs)

:-:-:-:

SNEAK PREVIEW OF: Souls and Departures

"Let me guess, the mayor wants the WMAT to be pushed up so that his city will get publicity benefits, while the WMAT wants the fighters to train an extra year?" Menrui theorized shrewdly. Kyō nodded, his panic finally revealing itself when he started to bite his nails.

:-:-:-:

Thanks to **wizardmon**,** Shinigami**,** lpgohanfanatic**, and** Lov3the3vil** for responding to my cry for more reviews! Yay...! (Glomps all) Now keep it up! I know I disappointed you all with my two month absence...

Auf wiedershein! Happy Friday the 13th! Muahaha...

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN;** Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 10.13.06_


	19. Souls and Departures

Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter 

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

_Warnings: Exorbitant Chapter Length _

:-:-:-:

PO**K:ISZF**—

Little changes, and bigger ones. The one constant that seemed as if it would never snap was the friendship of the Blue Star Gang. Perhaps this was for the good, perhaps it prevented all of them from new experiences with different people. But the pressing question remained: Would it last?

:-:-:-:

Chapter Nineteen: Souls and Departures

:-:-:-:

As quickly as the word went around, it was a wonder that the Paradoxes hadn't heard before now.

"They're moving the World Martial Arts Tournament up!" Kyō babbled to them. "It's posted for August now!"

"But that's only three months away!" protested Menrui, taking a moment to figure the span of time.

"I know! That's why we gotta train!" Kyō shouted.

"We?" Kakkhan put in, raising an eyebrow.

"Tomorī, Kyō, and I are planning to enter," Yuki explained calmly. Kakkhan nodded his understanding while Menrui interrogated the hysteric Kyô further on the subject.

"Yeah, there was this huge petition thing going around amongst the agencies of the greatest fighters in the world," Kakkhan raised his eyebrow again, "and a huge argument between the mayor of North Boulevard and the WMAT board on whether to actually do it!"

"Let me guess, the mayor wants the WMAT to be pushed up so that his city will get publicity benefits, while the WMAT wants the fighters to train an extra year?" Menrui theorized shrewdly. Kyō nodded, his panic finally revealing itself when he started to bite his nails.

"None of that, Kyō," Menrui commented. "If you're that freaked out—"

"Yeah?" Kyō asked, his eyes huge.

"Then how about I give you guys a few pointers in your training," the demi-Saiyan suggested. He hastily added, "Oh, I'm not actually going to be fighting with you, just watching."

Kyō breathed a sigh of relief. Menrui was way strong, and he thought Kakkhan was even stronger. He hadn't ever seen the latter fight, but he harbored those suspicions anyway.

"Hey, wait," he exclaimed, thinking of somebody else way strong. "Wouldn't it be cool if the Giendonese Warrior came to the WMAT? We'd really get to see a show!"

Kakkhan coughed imperceptibly. "How would it be a show, Kyō, if there wasn't anyone strong enough to withstand even one blow?"

Kyō's face fell. "Oh, yeah, I forgot about that," the boy stated dejectedly. Kakkhan rolled his eyes as Menrui chuckled. Yuki shook his head, though a thoughtful glint did enter his eye.

"Hey, Kakkhan, Menrui! Are you entering the WMAT in August?" Cairne had entered the plaza without Kyō's noticing, Kyō who yelped and almost smacked the other boy for his sneakiness.

"Whoa! What'd I do?" Cairne yelled, backing away from the potentially homicidal Kyō.

"You sneaked up on me!" Kyō accused. As Cairne denied the incrimination and Yuki shook his head again, the twins conferred.

'Do you want to enter?' Menrui inquired. Kakkhan gave the query some consideration before ultimately he shrugged a broad shoulder.

'Don't really see the point in it, though,' he supplemented. Menrui nodded his acquiescence but he did say wistfully:

'I'd kind of like to see the WMAT. I haven't ever seen one.'

'You haven't? Well, we can't have that!' Kakkhan declared. 'We're going, even if it isn't necessarily to fight, and that's that!'

"Okay!" Menrui said aloud, holding up his hands as if to placate his brother.

"You know, it's really weird when you do that," Yuki told them, his calm gaze riveted on them both. Menrui shrugged sheepishly; Kakkhan smirked. Cairne wished he had a twin.

"No, you don't," the Paradoxes chorused. They grinned at each other to Yuki's further annoyance and Kyō's amusement.

"That was so sweet!" he gasped when he could stop laughing. Midori and Keiko popped onto the seats on either side of him.

"Where have you been?" Cairne demanded. "We've been here for ages."

"We were trying to find Cat-sama," Midori told them, huffing. "He's run away again."

"With all the trouble he puts up," Kakkhan muttered, "you'd think Keiko would give him up."

"Keiko's right here!" the aforementioned character exploded. "I'll thank you not to talk about me like I don't exist!"

"Fine," Kakkhan replied. "I would think that _you_ would give up him," he reiterated with a patient air, shifting on the bench to make room for Tomorī.

"You'd think who'd give who up?" he asked interestedly.

:-:-:-:

"Hey, Kakkhan! Did you hear about the WMAT?" Goku exclaimed excitedly when Kakkhan entered the doors of Capsule. He was alone, since Menrui had arranged to meet Nanao-san in the park.

"Nothing but that all day," the Saiyan grumped. "Why, are you thinking about entering it again?"

"Yup!" the elder Saiyan confessed cheerfully. "Vegeta says he's going too."

"Was he dropping caustic hints of the torture he was planning for you too?" Kakkhan quipped.

Goku missed the warning in the air. "Hey! How'd you know that?"

Kakkhan shook his head. "Before you ask, Kakkarot, I don't know whether I'm entering. I know I'm going, but not if I'm fighting."

"Why not?" Goku pouted.

"Not everybody's life centers around fighting, Kakkarot." Kakkhan strode by the gi-clad fighter before the latter could respond.

He answered the question three times more. Once was to Goten and Trunks; twice belonged to Vegeta, and thrice (which seemed to be a charm for once) he answered it in the hearing of Chichi and Bulma. After that no one else bothered him except the robots as he sought a place to meditate.

He found it on the very top of the Capsule Dome, where a wide plateau afforded him the wind's caress and a good view of West City's skyline. He settled into the lotus position with a sigh, bending one foot into the crook of the opposite leg, then the other.

How long had it been since he'd last meditated? He really had no reason anymore, since the first motivation to visit the Demon Dimension had removed itself. The second motivation then, as a way to relax and sort through his troubles hadn't really been pursued—

Though he really should have before, especially Lotto's death so recently past. A brief sense of sadness washed over him, becoming punctuated with a smile when he thought of what Lotto would say about his negligence.

'You may be an Immortal, Legendary Lord, but you are still a Saiyan. Look after yourself!'

Taking Its words to heart, Kakkhan closed his eyes and imagined himself inside a tree. He could feel the calm taking roots in his thoughts and lapping them up. It grew with every stress and care he'd ever had over the past year. He could feel the calm become strong in its sprouting process, and he along with it.

Serene now, Kakkhan allowed the calm to transform into merely being, feeling almost nothing and yet being aware all at once.

He opened his eyes and almost instantly came close to losing the half-aware state he'd worked so hard for.

_The darkness in his mind that he'd become so accustomed to was no longer just dark. Now it was infused with shades of light everywhere, making the darkness more accurately described as dominating shadows. It reminded Kakkhan of the false dawn inside of his own mind. _

_Suddenly beating back echoes of fury, Kakkhan whirled and strode straight into the bowels of his intellect. He could sense the light getting thicker with every step, not just see it. Just as he was about to see spots from all of the light areas, he arrived at the source. _

_True to his belief, the globe of light encased within his darkness' cage was no longer purely a globe. Sunspots flared out of it in all directions, fingers snaking hungrily and demandingly out of the essential shape for its desire. _

_The terrible noise it usually vociferated had lessened to a more-or-less incessant whine, occasionally broken by mutters as sunspots died and flared simultaneously. Kakkhan stared at it; the darkened cage was still as strong as ever except where the light streamed through it; there it was translucent._

_Suddenly the whine turned into a roar as the light apparently noticed Kakkhan for the first time. The sunspots continued to flare at the same rate, but the light's attention certainly was not on the operations it had managed to unfold. _

'I will _not_ tolerate this,' _Kakkhan told the screaming globe. _'You retract yourself _now_, or I will do it myself, starting with _you_.'

_The globe only screeched louder and started spinning over and over. Kakkhan did not allow the presentation to impress him; he reached toward it with splayed fingers and concentrated. _

'Arggh!'_ he shouted. He dropped his hand and bent over, panting. The pain _throbbed_ in every core of his body from that first attempt; his brain became blank as the nerves bombarded it electrically. His heart beat wildly, a bass drum almost exploding his internal eardrum. Gasping, he almost collapsed as the sensation went on and on. Through the daze, he finally realized he had not stopped attempting to remove the light. He immediately rectified this and _gasped_ as the cessation of the pain arrived. _

_His faculties took their time in recovering; even after they fully returned, Kakkhan's nerves throbbed with the remembrance. Finally, still aching horribly, Kakkhan rose from the ground. He staggered as the world spun round and round; in sharp contrast the blurry globe of light appeared to still. _

_Tentatively Kakkhan tried again; the fiery pain assaulted him anew. He hastily retired from the exercise once more, though he did not move again for more seconds. All the while the ball of light gyrated interminably, though it seemed to be wary of the Saiyan now; its roar had faded away to a peculiar hum. In this state, Kakkhan found that he was still panting heavily; he tried to regulate it using, without prior knowledge, the same process that had brought him into his mind. _

One, two, three, four. _He held his breath. _One, two, three, four. _He released it. _One, two, three, four. _He held his breath, counted again. He drew in another breath to the ubiquitous count to four, and repeated the entire cycle. _

_He so progressed that he didn't even know when he first heard the rumbling. He knew he heard it; with this knowledge the rumbling seemed to grow louder. Words sailed to him within the reverberation only coherent to him now in some way they had not before. _

_The light roared once more. _

EIRANOS!

_Kakkhan's eyes wished to snap open, but some force kept them closed. The Saiyan did not remember when they'd shut in the first place. _

EIRANOS! LISTEN TO ME!

_Kakkhan attempted to struggle against whatever had secured such a hold on him. He felt strangely detached from the situation, feeling both the struggle and not. _

EIRANOS! I AM A PART OF YOU!

_He tried harder to resist. _

I WILL BE IN YOU ALWAYS! YOU CANNOT KEEP ME OUT!

_Whatever clutched him refused to surrender. _

EIRANOS! THE LIGHT IS YOUR SOUL! TEARING ME OUT CAUSES YOUR CONSCIOUS DEATH!

_Startled without meaning to be, Kakkhan ceased fighting. _

EIRANOS! I LOVE YOU!

Kakkhan's astonishment was so great he flailed again. This time the force gave in to his demands and he fell back into his consciousness and to the world of reality.

:-:-:-:

"Kakkhan!"

His eyes popped open finally, only to shut instantly as the bright light struck the retinas. "Urgghh," he groaned. He repeated the noise louder as he shifted out of the lotus position. Sitting so long in an unaccustomed pose had him stiff and cramped. The years of meditation had not stuck with him physically.

"Kakkhan, are you all right?" someone asked. The inquired looked up then, blinking rapidly at the crowd of faces pressing in on him.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked preemptively. He complained waspishly again as he straightened his legs.

"Because for the past fifteen minutes—"

"Fourteen," quipped a female voice. Bulma.

"Fourteen minutes, you've been as stiff as a board, like you were paralyzed!" the first speaker finished. Kakkhan realized it was Menrui standing over him with such worry.

"Oh, stop worrying, Ru," he snapped, stretching. "I've just been meditating."

"You were doing more than that, _Khan_," retorted his brother. Kakkhan returned his searching gaze to the demi-Saiyan with a calculating expression on his face. Menrui's tone had had an uncharacteristically sharp edge to it.

"_I couldn't get through to you,"_ the demi-Saiyan emphasized. "Even when you're meditating, I can still sense our link. _Not this time._"

"Is that why you're all up here?" Kakkhan queried discerningly, looking around less fuzzily. He immediately cried "Itai!" as Menrui cuffed him across the back of his head.

"Stop evading the damn question!" Menrui yelled. Kakkhan noted for the first time that his brother's voice was hoarse, and that the others were uncommonly silent.

Nevertheless, Menrui hadn't needed to hit him. "Well, if you told me _exactly _why you're all up here besides a minor case of paralysis, perhaps I could give you a coherent idea!" he bellowed, still rubbing his head tenderly.

Silence and wide eyes greeted his words, during which time Menrui appeared to be holding his breath and counting to ten. Kakkhan swept his eyes over all of their faces—

"That bad?" he queried after the longest moment. A chorus of nods answered him, accompanied by either steady gazes or shifting looks depending on the confronter's nature. Most sobering of all was his own twin's challenging gaze, as if the demi-Saiyan wanted to say, _You think? _

"Well, I'm sorry to worry you," he told them, still testy. "I merely wished to do some meditation to relax and ended up trying to tear out some of my soul."

Kakkhan's message, made worse by the matter-of-fact sarcasm it came with, caused another eon of silence.

Then the babbling broke out.

"WHAT?" Menrui and Chichi shouted simultaneously.

"Why would you want to do that?" Goku asked a beat later, scratching his head.

Vegeta only scrutinized the young Saiyan intensely, while Goten and Trunks stared slack-jawed at their idols. Bulma had joined the screeching while Krillin began laughing hysterically to Yamcha. Piccolo merely raised an invisible eyebrow while Dende exclaimed softly behind him. Sayo only continued to blink while replying to her daughter Marron's inquiry, "Kakkhan was trying to do something stupid, sweetie. Don't worry about it."

Tien and Chiaotzu were not present at the time, but still larking about. Two years ago they had righted the situation in the Orinement Mines that Menrui had followed so faithfully through the Gazette and taken off again. This time no one but Dende knew where they were.

And Kakkhan sat through it all, his testiness finally fading, instead reveling unexpectedly in the concern the Z-senshi displayed for him. He found himself unrepentant all over again for the choice he'd made six years ago (was it really that long since he'd resigned? It seemed like _centuries_.) He was grateful for the chance he'd been given to experience this moment, to be here with his family and friends, and especially with Menrui, whom _should_ have been in dire straits with the Androids right about now.

Or so he guessed. It was kind of hard to tell now, wasn't it, now that he'd messed _that_ particular timeline up. He grinned to himself.

Yes, he was extraordinarily happy to be here, now, and still breathing. However, his gratitude did not stop the mountains of rants the Harpies and Menrui still spouted off. Sighing wryly, he opened his mouth and proceeded to shut up the Harpies plus One.

:-:-:-:

Once the entire matter was settled to mostly everyone's satisfaction, they all departed for home. On the leisurely flight home, Kakkhan related the full range of events and their consequences to Menrui. Even now Kakkhan still throbbed in all fibers of his body, and his flight was noticeably less polished than Menrui had become accustomed to seeing. Kakkhan assured his brother that Senzu beans would help him; he just needed to focus on landing gently.

So he did, and he ate his Senzu, and was healed once again. Left to him the memories of the pain were, nevertheless. Kakkhan would come to despise these memories and its source even more.

Somehow, someway, he would say to himself, he would resolve to double his efforts at removal—in finding alternate routes of extermination and executing them. He would determine this, and far into the future, a heavy block would fall into place.

"You ready, Kakkhan?" Menrui queried. His twin had to smile a little at his barely suppressed excitement.

"If you are," he replied smoothly. "And you are, I see," he continued, semi-blithely ignoring his brother's dancing impatience. "So I suppose—"

"Let's go already!" Menrui shouted; seizing Kakkhan by the arm he began to drag him out of the door. Kakkhan shook him off, and smirking, raced past him directly into the sky. Menrui glowered at him, but did take the precaution of looking both ways, left and right, before he joined Khan in the heavens.

"I can't wait!" Menrui screeched as he finally, finally took off. He felt a bright smile steal his face—he finally felt normal. To him, seeing a martial arts tournament was the very epitome of normal—fighting was such a part of his life it felt wrong to miss anything so important.

He'd also often heard from Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha about the past WMATs they had been to—all filled with adventure and unexpected developments. It sounded very much like the sort of thing that should happen at a Tournament—the Cell Games didn't count as Cell had threatened to destroy Earth if no one bested him. What was the point of winning a Tournament if there was no record going to be made of our win by objective (well, relatively objective, he amended) parties?

Speaking of relatively objective, he thought, the stories and legends about the Giendonese Warrior had certainly blown out of proportion. The essential facts had remained the same, such as his physical attributes, but his personality and mental characteristics had borne much speculation.

There had been outlandish stories here and there, and a few even had a singular germ of truth to them. But not a single one of them ever considered the possibility that Kakkhan was an Earthling alien with darkness warring with creeping light in his soul—and that he was also possibly the most normal person around that he'd ever met. Despite all of the cultural differences—

"Thank you for the compliment, **sangorochu**, but I don't _think_ I'm the most normal person you've ever met," Kakkhan broke in with a rueful smile. "It doesn't matter what normal is, anyway, because it's all relative."

"Relative?" Menrui reiterated, blinking. Had he been thinking out loud there?

"Not aloud, no," Kakkhan said absently. He was scanning the ground below for Capsule. "Normalcy just depends on someone's frame of reference. Smoking and pot, for example, is abhorrent to people who are in their right minds, while those with only half a brain and/or a bad background would think them 'normal'." He made a face; Menrui knew he was thinking of Hayley. "Huh, I'm getting philosophical," Kakkhan muttered. "Maybe I should be doing some writing."

"Maybe you shouldn't be in that philosophy class you're in," Menrui teased. Kakkhan grimaced again.

"Kami, don't remind me of _that_," he mumbled. Menrui grinned, then dived when his sharp eyes spotted Capsule's Dome at last. At the same time, he opened his ki-reading senses wide—

"Whoohoo!" he shrieked on his way down. He pushed himself to ever-increasing speeds until he traveled at exactly the speed of sound in air at three hundred and forty meters per second. He came dangerously, perilously close to Capsule—

And braked hard, stamping on his energy just before he face-planted and became a _splat_ of a demi-human pancake. _Then_ he let himself drop gently onto the sidewalk.

All within ten seconds. Kakkhan arrived leisurely afterwards, taking his own sweet time at one hundred and thirty meters an hour—landing in twenty six point two seconds at a rounded estimate.

All of this became just in time to catch the plane as it arrived from the underground hangar Bulma stored it in—with all of the usual impracticability of the rich AND imaginative AND a science fiction fan. Ever since Trunks had found X-men...

"Hello, all!" Bulma sang cheerfully as she strode out of the door. Vegeta, stonily silent, did not take long in following her. After him proceeded the Hurricanes, Chichi and Chokiiro, Sayo, Marron, Piccolo, and Dende. This group exchanged pleasantries for a short while before the second wave washed out to meet them: Krillin, Yamcha, Goku, Master Roshi, Oolong, and most surprising of all—Tien and Chiaotzu!

The triclops and the psychic had not been seen for so very long that the second wave still interrogated them upon their adventures even outside the door.

"Hey, Tairyoku Twins," Tien greeted with a smile. Chiaotzu swiveled around to look at them and his eyes widened.

"Tien! They're already taller than me!" he yelped.

"But you can probably can beat me at psycho-kinetic darts," Kakkhan challenged. "I'm not falling for that one."

Chiaotzu returned the challenge with his normal blank, unnerving stare; the Paradox ignored it.

"Are there some of us flying physically over there? I don't think we can all fit on that plane." The Saiyan eyed the object of his doubt and the fifteen seats he counted in it.

Bulma sniffed haughtily. "As a matter of fact, some of you are. Since you were so nice to bring the subject up, I'll let you two be among the volunteers," she smiled sweetly at the duo, which was grinning innocently back at her. "Who else is going flying?" she asked, turning to the other Z-senshi. Piccolo simply levitated away in answer; Goku copied him. Krillin looked after them, but not wistfully.

"I'm conserving my energy for my fights," he said firmly. Goku seemed to reconsider his own decision, but he finally shrugged. Vegeta only smirked and sauntered over to the plane. Everyone else assembled in whatever form they were most comfortable with. It ended up being Yamcha, Goten, Trunks and Tien who joined Goku, Piccolo and the Twins in the air. The eleven other members piled into the plane, almost filling up the small jet but for five seats with Bulma in the cockpit.

The flight there was leisurely; for Menrui, who wanted to be there already, it was painful. Kakkhan did not help with his constant tease about Nanao-san, who would be there to cheer on her sister, Kirihara Taki, who would be entering the Tourney. The demi-Saiyan fidgeted all the way over to North Boulevard, only calming down when in sight of the city's giant stadium that was this year's home of the World Martial Arts Tournament.

The plane, which had been right beside them for the entire trip, began to slow. The fighters looked into the plane's cockpit and saw Bulma waving them on; the slim headset she wore was indubitably telling her where to land the plane.

"North Boulevard is a very pretty place, don't you think?" Yamcha remarked as the fighters themselves aligned for landing.

"I guess," Goku replied, looking around at all of the charming Victorian-style buildings looming all around them.

"Georgian buildings are not my cup of tea," Kakkhan put out, casting a critical eye about. "But they are charming."

"How'd you know about the architectural style, Khan?" Menrui inquired, a Kakkhan-esque brow raised.

"You," the other Paradox rebutted, looking exasperated. He waved a hand in the air and imitated Menrui in a passionate description of the differences between Georgian and the Edwardian style of a similar movement. Menrui blushed fiercely—

"Register here for the World Martial Arts Tournament! Register here, all you fighters!"

:-:-:-:

A/n: Well, looks like we're rolling right along! I think I might have rushed things there a little bit, especially with moving the WMAT up so unexpectedly. Still, that's life, isn't it? Unexpected things tend to come at you, even world-famous tournaments and date changes. (Shrugs) I imagine it's like the Olympics being moved up a year...

:-:-:-:

SNEAK PREVIEW OF: The World Martial Arts Tournament

A giant roar that Kakkhan had not known humans could make assaulted him. Clapping his hands over his sensitive ears, he peeked tearfully on as the green-skinned Piccolo made his way into the house. A first glance at the Namekian betrayed nothing, nor did the second glance. The third looked showed Kakkhan what he was looking for: the blush of embarrassment? pleasure? that coated the think cheeks belonging to "Majunior".

:-:-:-:

Thanks to **wizardmon** (I know I'm unpopular, dude, ya don't need to remind me), **Lov3th3vil**, and **lpgohanfanatic** for reviewing! I know I'm going to get to at least seventy reviews eventually...

Ciao!

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN; **Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 11.12.06_


	20. The World Martial Arts Tournament

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but I do own Janden, the Laniins, the other races not including Human, the planet Giendon, a few techniques, the unfamiliar languages, and a handful of other things that are my creation alone.

_Warnings: A Single Gory Paragraph, Chapter Length Exorbitant _

:-:-:-:

PO**K:ISZF**—

_"You," the other Paradox rebutted, looking exasperated. He waved a hand in the air and imitated Menrui in a passionate description of the differences between Georgian and the Edwardian style of a similar movement. Menrui blushed fiercely—_

"_Register here for the World Martial Arts Tournament! Register here, all you fighters!"_

:-:-:-:

Chapter Twenty: The World Martial Arts Tournament

:-:-:-:

Six heads shot up like hounds catching evidence of their prize. Goku, the Hurricanes, Piccolo, Tien, and Yamcha hurried off towards the barker. Menrui said that he'd thought Yamcha wasn't fighting, to which Kakkhan scoffed and replied that it hadn't been that hard to see that the former bandit was just as eager for this tournament as the rest of them.

"Well, at least he won't be bored," Menrui offered. Watching the excitement of the six Z-senshi clustered around the paunchy barker, he shared a look with Kakkhan and shook his head in unison with the other Paradox.

"Right then, you go find Nanao-san. I'll be fine by myself," Kakkhan teased, flapping a hand dismissively. Menrui rolled his eyes; nevertheless he did turn away and went, patting his pants pocket absentmindedly. Kakkhan snickered to himself, then spun about the other way to start the quest to find Kyō, Yuki and Tomorī.

He didn't find them, but he did encounter Cairne, Keiko, and a leashed Cat-sama. He discovered that there was a different selection process this year to determine the actual tourney fighters, since the WMAT board had determined that the traditional preliminary process took too long.

Kakkhan protested the information since the preliminaries were half the fun of the WMAT. Cairne agreed, Keiko only shrugged, absently stroking her orange, brown, and white Cat-sama.

"Huh," said Kakkhan, shaking his head. "I suppose Midori-chan isn't here because of her general antipathy towards violence?"

"Yeah," sneered Cairne. "Trust a girl to be so weak."

Keiko immediately elbowed him in the weakest part of the solar plexus; Kakkhan turned away to conceal his laugh while Cairne gasped, wheezed.

"Not so weak, now, huh, Cairne?" Keiko challenged, her hand returning to Cat-sama's head. "Care to revise your opinion?"

_GONG!_ Three heads whipped up towards the source of the sound, which appeared to be in the direction of the stadium. A giant cheer of approval resounded from the stadium and outside of it. Kakkhan, Keiko, and Cairne all glanced at each other.

"Well, I guess they've sorted things out already," Cairne offered, still holding his gut. The other two nodded. As one they executed a sharp about-face and marched into the North Boulevard Hitobitodansu Stadium.

:-:-:-:

"Okay, everyone! The lineup has been decided, the fighters are prepared, now are _you_ ready for some action?" the emcee, a tall blonde man who was slightly balding, wore thick spectacles, and sported a moustache, called. Shouts of assent greeted his question, the multitudes merging into one voice a second later.

"All right then, let's get this show on the road!" the emcee swept his arm out in the direction of three monks who were wheeling out a board with kanji and lines on it. Kakkhan could make out the kanji, but to be considerate of his companions, he didn't voice his thoughts on the layout.

"The fights are as follows: first, Sugisaka Hisoka versus Kibito!"

Kakkhan, glancing to where the kis of his friends had gathered, saw a surly man with wavy hair hunching beside a tall sunburned crone of a man; a flash of an image raced before his eyes and vanished before he could properly comprehend it.

"Next, Satan Videl versus Tienshinhan!" Kakkhan cracked a small smirk at the astonished looks Keiko and Cairne acquired. So Tien was still a WMAT legend after all.

"The third match is Kirihara Taki against Matalino!"

A loud shriek rent the air. Kakkhan already knew who had called it, but he still sent a wry wince via his mental portal to Menrui. He received a sheepish mind-shrug in return.

"Majunior fights Briefs Trunks in the fourth match—"

'Majunior? Isn't that what Piccolo entered as in his last Budokai?'

'He must want to be consistent in his entries,' Kakkhan replied to Menrui's query. Out loud, he asked, "What kind of a guy calls himself Majunior?" 

"What kind of a guy calls himself Trunks? What kind of mother would _do_ that to her child?" Keiko fired back. Kakkhan had to agree with the statement even as he imagined Bulma's enraged outburst if she'd heard Keiko. He grimaced.

"It's Yamcha versus Dabura for our fifth match," the emcee continued. Kakkhan snorted at the latter name even as another progression of images raced through his brain—

"Chestnut Krillin and Briefs Vegeta make up our sixth match—"

Kakkhan choked; he had to endure back poundings with Cairne while a concerned Cat-sama licked his cheek.

"Son Goten and former champion Son Goku pair off in the Budokai's seventh match! I wonder if they're related?" the emcee wondered. Kakkhan only smirked. Cairne and Keiko both had wide eyes again.

"S-son Goku? B-but he hasn't been seen or heard from in years!" Cairne stuttered, his usual eloquence leaving him in his shock. Kakkhan said nothing, instead mentally urging the emcee to announce the last and final contest, which was—

"And finally we have Gin Tomorī versus Chestnut Sayo for our very last match!"

Certain sections of the grandstand burst into noise and applause following this latest announcement, including Kakkhan's quarter. The cheering seemed to go on for ages as the Blue Star Gang cheered their hearts out for the tall, gangly, and smart-mouthed Gangster that had made it through to the first round of the Budokai.

"Now if only you could show that kind of spirit during School Day," Kakkhan commented, snarkily, when Keiko and Cairne finally let up. Keiko glared at him, sniffed, and turned away, while Cairne only shook his head.

"Nothing to cheer about on School Day," he said. "It's just a bunch of idiotic activities that fail pitifully in 'bringing the school together.'" He sneered.

Kakkhan rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the goings on below. In the forty-five seconds he had looked away, Sugisaka and Kibito had stepped up onto the platform and squared off. The crone, Kibito, looked like a lemon that had been squeezed for far too long, Kakkhan mused, while Sugisaka appeared to be an adult that had not outgrown the rebellious teenager phase. He wondered if Sugisaka was married.

In any case, the sunburned lemon had far too much ki to fall to the likes of the pathetically slow human opposing him. Kakkhan hooded his eyelids as Sugisaka attempted to punch Kibito, but only found air whooshing beside him. He grunted as a booted foot found his spine and shoved him down, almost taking his breath away from him. Bewildered at his ineptness, he tried to rise to his feet, but another blow staggered him and, with its force, imprinted his face with tiles. He wouldn't move for the entire count to ten.

Annoyed, Kakkhan sighed. The sound was the only one in its general vicinity, for his companions had become unnaturally silent. The Saiyan turned to investigate the reason for this silence and discovered that Keiko and Cairne had frozen in their seats, their eyes staring out into space.

"Sheesh," Kakkhan said. "You guys, snap out of it," he commanded. "That fighter was a dud anyway. You don't need to be so surprised at how quickly he was defeated."

No answer from the statues in front of him. He rolled his eyes for the hundredth time that day and turned away, deciding to leave the figurines to thaw on their own. He snickered to himself to think that more surprises like that were in store for them.

The second match presented the Saiyan with a trifle more entertainment. Satan Videl, a girl in an oversized white shirt, black pants, and a short French braid of black hair, was uncommonly strong for a human. She was able to catch Tien off guard with her ferocity for exactly thirty seconds of combat, after which Tien began to block her punches and attack on his own.

Kakkhan noticed that Tien held back as much as possible, giving his opponent a chance for an even playing field, although considering how much Satan was moving, Kakkhan suspected some unconscious energy manipulation was in play. But whether it was unconscious or not, Satan soon fell to the same hand that had defeated so many others. Afterwards Tien helped the girl up and spoke to her, in all probability congratulating her on such a fierce attacking style, before he turned and walked away.

'That Satan girl fought well, didn't she, Khan?' Menrui intruded, an emotion half-surprised coating his mental voice. Kakkhan sent his agreement and his notion of the unconscious ki control as Kirihara Taki and Matalino entered the ring.

Taki-san was a tall, willowy girl, with straight brown hair and aloof features that rather gave the impression of perfection. They were a harder mold of Nanao-san's own features with the exception of the color of the eyes, which on Taki-san were blue instead of smiling gray. Kakkhan rather had the impression that Taki-san did not smile much, that perhaps she was rain where her sister was the sun.

Matalino, on the other hand, was short and stocky, Filipino in his face. He seemed to be rather the quiet sort for all that heads instantly turned to him upon his approach into the ring. Ironically he seemed to be the ideal foil for Taki-san striding haughtily beside him; Kakkhan heard Keiko exclaim, predictably, that perhaps they had been made for each other. He rolled his eyes in synch with Cairne as he heard the trite maxim "opposites attract!" for about the umpteenth time in his short seventeen years of existence.

The fighters approached, bowed to each other, and backed away to their appropriate positions as the four people before them had done. Kakkhan watched interestedly as when the match began, Taki-san and Matalino held a staring match for fifteen seconds. Then Matalino twitched, and Taki-san was off like a rocket, shooting towards her opponent at what could be considered an unbelievable speed, if one was a human.

Matalino smoothly sidestepped her charge and crisply snapped his foot behind him, expecting it to collide with flesh. Instead, hands snaked around his ankle and pulled on it, lifting him up into the air and smashing his head on the other side. Stars performed the conga around his head from the smash; his eyes widened and he rolled away to avoid another punch, haphazardly scattering the stars.

Using his momentum, he landed on his hands and flailed out with his leg, grateful to Sensei for the balancing trials he'd been forced to undergo. They sent the beautiful Kirihara reeling and set him back on his feet and advancing cautiously in his opponent's drunken trajectory.

He was correct in his caution, for Kirihara recovered quickly enough to pounce on him near the edge of the platform. He refused to yield and retaliated in good speed, trading each one of her chops with kicks of his own, each attack growing progressively stronger as he determined the full extent of power he could dish to Kirihara without injuring her too much. Sensei would be greatly displeased with him if he abused the weaker sex unnecessarily.

Finally, a panting double-fisted smash brought Kirihara down; sweating rivulets he backed away, just in case, and waiting stoically as his strong opponent tried her very best to obtain her feet.

She very nearly made it at six, too, but her leg (from where he had kicked her numerous times in an attempt to make it out of a stranglehold) gave out from under her and she went down again. Matalino had sprung into his fighting stance the first time and remained in it until the emcee swooped down on him and raised his arm while claiming him the victor.

"Matalino advances to the next round!"

:-:-:-:

"What a fantastic match! Kirihara Taki played it tough, but she was no match for the sturdy Matalino! I haven't seen many better matches than this one, and that's saying something!" The emcee shouted after both Matalino and the furious Kirihara had been helped out of the grandstand. "But, speaking of better matches, one of our next two contestants was part of the finals of the last Budokai pre-Cell Games in that momentous fight against Son Goku! Everyone give a round of applause for _Majunior_!"

A giant roar that Kakkhan had not known humans could make assaulted him. Clapping his hands over his sensitive ears, he peeked tearfully on as the green-skinned Piccolo made his way into the house. A first glance at the Namekian betrayed nothing, nor did the second glance. The third looked showed Kakkhan what he was looking for: the blush of embarrassment? pleasure? that coated the think cheeks belonging to "Majunior".

"Oh and Majunior? Will you try to keep the tiles intact this time around?" the emcee asked, discreetly holding the microphone away from him. Majunior quirked a sudden smile (so alien on a face that had always seemed to be angry) and murmured his acquiescence. "I'll try."

"Thanks." He twirled the microphone back to his face. "And his opponent is Briefs Trunks, the son of Briefs Bulma, I believe, of the mega-conglomerate Capsule Corporation! Let's get a round for this young man, shall we?"

Another roar, no less muted though Trunks was only a child of ten short years. Perhaps his surname had something to do with that.

The roar had subsided only barely when a screech of delight tore the air—

And a vision of hell descended upon the platform. Kakkhan stiffened as he watched the pink-skinned fiend work his way towards Trunks, who seemed frozen with fear—

Except that Trunks clearly had a bewildered gaze affixed on his face; no room for fear with this one. Kakkhan swooped over the seats below him and arrived at the platform in a flash—

Just in time to see the pink fiend fly off with the petrified Trunks under his arm. A quick glance at Piccolo showed that he, too, was only just coming out of his own paralysis.

"Hey! What happened just now?" Krillin shouted across the acreage still separating him and the raised arena. Kakkhan shrugged a shoulder, instead turning a particularly baleful Death Glare on the purple-skinned creature striding up from his own quarter of the WMAT grounds.

"I would greatly appreciate it if in the future you wouldn't paralyze any more of my friends, _Supreme Kaio_," the Saiyan icily intoned to him. The black eyes of the mauve Kaio widened perceptibly, his voice was a stutter.

"W-wha?" was all he could manage. Kakkhan snorted derisively, returned to the Z-senshi collected behind him.

"Let's go, guys, and see who's threatening our beloved planet _now_," he ordered.

"Sure." "Again? Will these guys never let up?" "All right! I've been itching for some action!"

"Sure you have, Kakkarot," Vegeta retorted, apparently regressing to his old behavioral habits in the face of having someone's butt to kick today. His old smirk certainly had rejoined them, Kakkhan noted. He hoped the Saiyan's omnipresent anger hadn't, or that Vegeta could handle the emotion until it was time to release it.

Rolling his eyes, he reiterated his earlier command. Menrui swept him an obsequious bow. "Yes, your Lordship," he stated, "Whatever you say, your Lordship." The gleam in his eye could not match the smile in its wickedness; Kakkhan just rolled his eyes again and, ignoring the multitudes of humanity gasping below him, shot into the air.

"Catch me if you can, slowpokes!" he called down. He smirked as the dozens leaped after him in hot pursuit. He could almost hear them howling gleefully, appearing as greyhounds to his rabbit. Turning his body, he put on a spurt of energy and zoomed away, following the blazing ki bundle that stuck out like a mushroom cloud for miles.

It seemed like forever to Kakkhan before that ki bundle finally slowed down. On the way, the Supreme Kaio and his assistant the sunburned crone caught up to them and explained the situation. Kakkhan snorted none too gentlemanly when he heard that the Mohawk had paralyzed Trunks for the purpose of tracking the Majin (as the henchman was called) straight to its master, the wizard Babidi.

Apparently, Babidi (he snorted a third time at the name—such daftness) had come to Earth for the purpose of resurrecting the most horrible creature that the universes had ever had the misfortune of coming across—a creature named Majin Buu.

Kakkhan rolled his eyes at the melodramatic explanation.

In any case, the creature—Majin Buu—had been left here centuries ago by Babidi's father—Bibidi, incidentally—after he grew unable to control the monster. Now Babidi sought to replicate his father's evil reign of the universe—

And if Buu was released, the universe was doomed. When the Supreme Kaio had been much, much, much younger—not even Supreme then—he had faced off against Buu with the other Kaios, and he was the only survivor.

Kakkhan bet it was because the Supreme Kaio was a sniveling coward. Certainly the small Kaio made no favorable impression on him—what was wrong with waiting until the Tournament was over before tracking the Majin? Did the Supreme Kaio really _have_ to paralyze Trunks as he did in order to set things in motion as he liked?

No, Kakkhan answered his own question, he didn't. He could have let Trunks beat up the Majin (never mind that they'd have a lot of awkward questions to deal with if he did) and then commanded Babidi to come find his servant—that is if the wizard cared all that much for the creature. Seeing how ugly the mug was, he didn't think the care become much at all.

And how did Kakkhan know how ugly the fiend was? Simple, the answer is, for the Saiyan and the rest of the Z-senshi were watching the dervish float down to a largish spaceship in the middle of nowhere—a suitable place for a villain lying low before his grand debut. Cell had been much the same way, he reflected, tramping about in the desert making up his arena. Of course, he'd already made his debut—

"Should we go in?" someone behind him asked. The Saiyan looked askance at the speaker in exasperation and rocketed downward, following the spiral bottomward of the Majin, in reply.

"I'll take that as a yes," someone else said. Soon afterwards, all he could hear were the rustlings of wind in clothes as his wake buffeted his retinue—

"Slow down, Kakkhan!" somebody had the gall to shout. It didn't matter in any case because the Saiyan was slowing for the landing, the spaceship only meters away.

_Thump!_ He landed with more noise than was necessary, he knew, but it felt good to him to announce the arrival of Earth's Special Forces—the people who were going to bring Babidi down.

"So how do we get in?" Krillin inquired, looking around. This time it was Vegeta who said, "The front door, where else?"

"Actually," Kakkhan corrected, "this hole. The front door is for fools who deserve the traps they can't see lying in wait for them."

"What hole? I don't see a hole," Yamcha complained, while Vegeta shared a smirk with Kakkhan. Apparently more than one person had regressed in the face of a planet to save today.

"This one," Kakkhan stated. He curled his fingers on the palms of one hand and drew it away; his hand's wake crackled and spat small blue lightning. When his hand was far enough away from the other, the lightning snapped a final time and bounced into its new form: the Spirit Blade.

"Stand back," he warned, a fierce smile tugging at his lips.

**KLANG!** With only a moment's breath, blue lightning folded abruptly in on itself and spat another bout of fire, spun in the gap between Kakkhan's hands—

Sunlight reflected off of the steel now humming maliciously in the Saiyan's hands. The handle was a long batch of steel swathed in rubber and leather layers to give him a sturdy grip whenever he countered another enemy's sword—

The Saiyan did not give them much time to admire the creation, instead seizing the hilt and thrusting into the surface of the spaceship with the blade.

**SKREECH!** The spaceship moaned as Kakkhan cut into its insides a half-meter long thin hole. Then he slung his sword over his shoulder with one arm and ripped the hole wider with the other. Crowding to the hole, the Z-senshi could see a room of elliptical proportions dressed in garish yellow and a round upraised metallic device that seemed like some insane manga-ka's idea of a transporter. The Supreme Kaio commented that that was what would take them to the lower levels of the ship.

"It doesn't look like anything's there," someone said finally, uncertainly.

Just as Kakkhan was about to agree, he held up a hand. "Wait." He pointed into the darkest depths of the room where a blue-skinned creature waited for them.

"Told you the front door's for fools," Kakkhan smirked. Reaching a hand down, he wrought a small blue ball, barely perceptible, and directed it towards the shadows.

"Wait!" the Supreme Kaio cried; the blue globe was already on its way, buzzing slightly as it impacted and overtook the being's soul. The Saiyan created another orb and sent it after its sibling; it came whirring back to him shortly afterwards.

"Hm. He's unconscious at least." Kakkhan hefted his sword and dropped it into the room. Shortly afterwards he himself had entered the room and strode over to the blue creature.

With a large head protruding out and large yellow eyes (no pupil, Kakkhan noted with a raised eyebrow), the blue-skinned creature did not look particularly fearsome. He did remind Kakkhan of the days when Vegeta was still under Frieza's service, for he wore clothes styled very much like Frieza's uniform.

"And weaker than a Kjordian, too," he sniffed. "Unless he's really good at faking his own death."

"Weaker than a Kjordian? " someone behind him asked. "How so?"

'Do you get the feeling we're being watched?' the same person inquired mentally.

'Yes, Ru, I do,' he replied in kind. "Weaker in the sense that he was felled by a half-miloton."

"Only a half-miloton?" Menrui exclaimed, reaching out a hand to help Kakkhan up from the ground. "That _is_ suspicious."

"Think I should test our host's acting skills?" Kakkhan asked, glints in his eyes. Menrui raised an eyebrow—

"What are you doing over here?" Kakkhan already knew from the annoying pitch that the Supreme Kaio spoke; now it was a question of how to answer him.

"Inspecting the deceased," Ru stated dispassionately. "He's quite a rare specimen."

'We _are_ being watched,' the demi-Saiyan confirmed. 'Babidi, you think?'

'Sure, let's go with that,' Kakkhan replied. His own intonation brusque, he told the Mohawk, "He died too easily. We thought maybe his internal organs might tells us why."

"Internal organs? What—" the Supreme Kaio broke off in horror as Kakkhan struck his sword into the blue being's throat and twisted violently. The yellow eyes of the opponent gasped their way open; the blue body bucked and thrashed wildly around Kakkhan's Blade. Blood, blue and thick, spewed forth from the slender throat, but it touched neither Kakkhan nor Menrui as both were fast enough to avoid it. Only the Mohawk had not foreseen the attack and therefore was the only one to be splashed.

"I thought so," the Saiyan only said. By now the spectacle was enough to draw the attention of the other Z-senshi; Krillin had enough sense to cover Goten's eyes.

Grunting minutely, Kakkhan withdrew the Blade, seemingly not noticing the cut into the hollow of the throat he made in the process—

_"Ooh, how sadistic,"_ called a cackling voice Kakkhan hated instantly. _"Killing my Pui Pui by destroying his throat." _

:-:-:-:

(1) Hitobitodansu I think this means "dancing people" in Japanese, but as I don't know any Japanese other than what comes from reading manga and my Japanese dictionary, please take this information with a grain of salt. (Sweatdrops)

:-:-:-:

A/n: Heeheeheeheeheee! I'm so evil... And no one's around to read my evilness. (Sobs) Apologies on my part are also in order, I believe, for taking so effing long. So...sorry.

:-:-:-:

SNEAK PREVIEW OF: Majin Buu

Kakkhan could only stare his twin brother speechlessly. Where had the Menrui who still didn't quite feel comfortable with his Super Saiyan powers, let alone his dark half, go? In his place, Kakkhan saw the person Menrui had been destined, had always been destined, to become.

:-:-:-:

Thanks to **lpgohanfanatic**,** Keltic Cat**,** Lov3the3vil**, and **cooldude39** for reviewing. This time I _will_ get to seventy! (Clenches fist) Isn't it pathetic, though, that I have only seventy reviews for a DBZ fic? Does no one review _anything_ nowadays? (Hint, HINT!)

Oh, and does anyone know where I can find online and translated manga scans for Fruits Basket? The main one I've been using had to take them down, and I've been slowly dying without them... I was so close to being finished too. (Pouts) Hmpf.

**Kakkhan II** has been finished, boys and girls, and except for a little tweaking here and there, it's all ready to upload. So, next chapter, get ready for some action by strapping yourselves in and hanging on tightly to the safety bar! (Okay, so maybe it's not _that_ much of a roller coaster...)

Bye!

**TheShadowPanther **and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN; **Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 02.23.07_


	21. Majin Buu

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but, except for the Human race, I do own everything else. Ha!

_Warnings: REALLY Exorbitant Chapter Length_

:-:-:-:

PO**K:ISZF**—

_"I thought so," the Saiyan only said. By now the spectacle was enough to draw the attention of the other Z-senshi; Krillin had enough sense to cover Goten's eyes._

_Grunting minutely, Kakkhan withdrew the Blade, seemingly not noticing the cut into the hollow of the throat he made in the process—_

"Ooh, how sadistic," _called a cackling voice Kakkhan hated instantly._ "Killing my Pui Pui by destroying his throat."

:-:-:-:

Chapter Twenty-one: Majin Buu

:-:-:-:

"Babidi," Kibito, silent until now, stated. Kakkhan noted the heat in his tone (which he suspected was otherwise a monotonous drone).

_"Presto!" _Babidi laughed. _"I knew you wouldn't forget me!" _Another cackle.

"Where's my son, you pathetic excuse for a wizard? You couldn't come for him yourself?" Vegeta challenged, his smile fierce. "Or are you too much of a coward, poor baby?"

_"Grr,"_ Babidi intoned. _"You'll regret saying that! Pappa rappappa!"_

Nothing happened. Vegeta smirked again. "Try again, you dolt," he sneered. "You're not going to get into my head that way!"

'So that's what he's planning,' Kakkhan realized. 'The wizard wants to use Vegeta against us to collect more ki for Buu. But since _that_ didn't work...'

'He'll probably go after someone more vulnerable?' Menrui guessed. 'We can't let that happen.'

'What do you suggest—?'

_"I don't think so," _Babidi was retorting to Vegeta's insult. _"You don't have enough darkness in your heart anymore, Prince of Saiyans!" _

Their eyes met; Kakkhan growled. 'Don't you dare, Ru. If you do, I'll personally kick your butt from here to the Otherworld and not bring you back!'

Menrui only smiled slightly. 'Don't worry, Khan, I'll be fine. After all, _I will know when to wake up._' 

Kakkhan could only stare his twin brother speechlessly. Where had the Menrui who still didn't quite feel comfortable with his Super Saiyan powers, let alone his dark half, go? In his place, Kakkhan saw the person Menrui had been destined, had always been destined, to become.

Slowly, he inclined his head. Menrui slightly smiled again, closed his eyes.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" he suddenly screamed. He grasped his head and clutched it so violently Kakkhan was almost certain he'd tear it off. The heads of everyone else present whipped around to the twitching Menrui fallen to his knees, the Menrui who had lightning bolts sparking and running all over his body.

"Keep the knowledge of the Spirit power away from him, darkness," Kakkhan whispered, backing away from his twin. "Keep his center protected so I can get him back in one piece. _Please._"

:-:-:-:

The hubbub within the spaceship was everything short of Pandemonium, Chaos, Bedlam, Disorder, Anarchy, Discord... the reader gets the picture. But the one person that seemed unaffected by it all was Tairyoku Kakkhan. He had stepped back from his twin—nor could he be blamed, for the pressure around the thrashing and screaming demi-human was unbearable when one was too close—with a stoic expression coating his face.

Now, why would he react like that to his brother's plight? Did he not like his relative as much as he had seemed to on the way over to this spaceship? Or...had had known beforehand that this would happen, that Babidi would target his own brother?

For the wizard was cackling his triumph as he burrowed deeper and deeper into the child's mind.

_"Yes...yes! Darkness, come to me and serve me for all eternity in this child's soul! Muahahahaha!"_

And yet Tairyoku Kakkhan only stood calmly and blinked nonchalantly as his brother succumbed to Babidi's control.

There was no twisted, corrupted cursive **M** on the enigma's forehead, but there was many ways to conceal such a mark.

The cessation of the screams and the too-sudden lightening of the pressure broke his intense concentration. The figure kneeling on the ugly carpeting so true to Babidi's taste panted, rough gray breaths passing out of his mouth to dissolve shortly in the air. Finally, he glanced up, and he had to catch back a gasp—

Even for a Majin, those eyes were dead, the darkness of the orbs showing the state of his soul, lost in servitude. What negativity had this child held so fiercely in his heart for so long that none of his former light-filled self was left?

He chanced another glance at the other twin. His own eyes were shadowed, perhaps feeling guilt for betraying his twin...? He could not think more on the subject, for the new Majin was rising to his feet. The debased **M** emblazoned proudly on his brow led the rest of the body in the effort to straighten up; when at last the mechanical Majin regained his feet, the **M** mark seemed to sneer at him in victory.

How he wanted to stick his tongue out at it, however undignified it was for him. His relief came in the knowledge that with Babidi dead, the symbol of the Majin would disappear forever, releasing the child from the wizard's service, if not necessarily the darkness.

That is, if Majin Buu was not awakened. At this point, he was not so sure. He could sense that everyone here was strong, but the child was one of the strongest. Could they stop him from gaining the energy that Buu so desperately needed to reawaken?

The lifeless eyes of the boy caught him again, bored deeply into his own soul—he was so sure that the Majin would attack him that he braced himself—then turned away, to his utter and complete surprise.

Instead, they lighted upon the small and innocuous corner where Pui Pui had first appeared—where his stolid twin had stepped away from—and glared.

"_Wha-what are you **doing**? You're supposed to be attacking the purple **rat**!" _Babidi shrieked. As much as he did not like his master being called a rat, he could hardly fault the wizard his surprise—for the Majin walked not towards the Supreme Kaio but to the corner and the **door** he had found.

_"I demand that you turn around and kill the Supreme Kaio, _now_! I want that energy for Buu!"_ Babidi yelled again. He could just imagine the wizard stamping his feet like a small child having a temper tantrum. Following after the Majin as everyone else seemed to be doing, so heedless of the danger they all walked into, he wondered—inanely—how many times Bibidi had spanked Babidi.

Once again, black eyes captured him—but these were the unemotional and nonjudgmental pair belonging to the Fallen's twin. They held in him place with the same power as the Majin's. Shivers traced their course down his spine even as he struggled to escape.

"Your thoughts are loud," the twin whispered. "Don't worry about Menrui, he's all right." He glanced to the side, removing those chilling ebony eyes, and commented in a louder tone of voice, "You'd better go in there. Everyone else is waiting for us."

Nodding dizzily and walking forward hesitantly, he discovered that what the Majin had found was actually an elevator. It could only hold one person, but somehow in the short time that the Majin's twin had detained him, the rest of the strange Z-senshi, as the humans and Saiyans of this planet called themselves, had disappeared.

The doors closed after him and he closed his eyes against the feel of going down, the pressure ever so faintly increasing the further down he went. It was ironic, his distaste of descending, when he so commonly manipulated his energy to fly...a distaste he locked behind his stern, wrinkled visage.

It was over in due time, anyway, and it was not very long after he had stepped out of the lift that the suspicious twin arrived. In a moment of confusion, he looked between the Suspicious One and the Fallen and could not see any difference between the two besides the spectacles and the glaring **M **on the Fallen.

The moment ended as the Fallen turned away once more, and ignoring the overhead rants of his new master, strode towards the far wall. He half-expected the Fallen to smack into the glaringly solid wall, but—he should have supposed otherwise, anyway—he didn't. He could even hear Babidi's voice escalate to higher octaves with exasperation.

With strangely significant looks passing between them all, the Z-senshi placed their footsteps in that of their former? comrade. He hesitated, but at a glance and understanding from his master had him stepping forward beyond the wall.

Only to see the Fallen grasping "the Demon King" Dabura by the neck and dangling him a half-meter off the ground while one of the Saiyans, the flame-hair, advanced on the quivering bundle of drooping flesh that was Babidi. He was casting spells left and right on the fighter but to surprisingly no avail. He looked around sharply at the sound of breaking crystal, but it was only the youngest child, the son of the spike-haired Saiyan.

"Oops," the true child said, looking abashed. A chorus of answers greeted him, but none truly scolded him on his crime.

As an afterthought, he cast about for the other child, that Trunks character. He discovered him with the Fallen's twin, the midget Earthling, and the Namekian near the pulsating, glowing, brain-like globe that housed Majin Buu.

He started over to them, but the egg gave off a tremendous screech at that moment that forced him back.

"Wha-what are you **doing**?" His master cried out, hurrying over to the group surrounding the egg.

"Releasing it," the Suspicious One answered curtly. He was the one pouring energy into the Majin egg. "Menrui and I can take him. We have the necessary power."

"B-but—" his master spluttered, so completely lost as to flounder as never before.

"If you have not noticed, your 'Menrui' has Fallen to Babidi now," he interrupted smoothly. His master glanced at him in frazzled confusion, which he took as a cue to step in. "There is no way for him to be able to help you defeat Majin Buu."

"In case _you_ have not noticed, Menrui is hardly obeying the others of that—is _that_ supposed to be a wizard?"

Apparently the Suspicious One had not seen Babidi in his rush to the egg. In his consternation, he had ceased donating energy directly to the brain-like nucleus containing Majin Buu, looking instead with disgust upon the shrieking Babidi (who was being chased by the very sadistic-appearing flame-haired Saiyan). His master's eyes caught his; he silently agreed. As one, they turned to the Suspicious—

Only for a loud gagging sound to interrupt everyone's activities.

As he and his master had concentrated on the Suspicious, the Fallen had continued to strangle Dabura. As of now, the fiend's eyes were beginning to pop out of their sockets and he himself was hyperventilating. The Fallen showed no sign of noticing this or being disturbed by it, instead hefting the pink body higher in the air.

This only caused Dabura to choke further.

Looking away from _that_ sight again, he saw that Babidi had been sufficiently cornered; now the wizard was receiving a punishment he considered to be proportionate to his would-be crime. Well, nearly. _Nothing_ could punish almost setting loose the evilest creature ever created upon the universe. _Absolutely nothing._

Relief flowed into him at the sight. Babidi had been a thorn in his master's side for decades, causing trouble left and right at all the illegal inter-galactic fighting arenas and enslaving monsters such as Dabura for the sole purpose of causing havoc upon the universe. Now the wizard was at the mercy of the flame-haired Saiyan—Vegeta was his name, he thought vaguely—and it did not seem like there would be any escape.

There was still trouble, however, for the Suspicious had restarted his flow of energy into the Majin nucleus. From the vibrations he could sense coming from Buu itself, it would not be long before the Suspicious did what they had prevented Babidi from doing.

A thump from behind almost distracted him; the final scream of a spell on Babidi's part and a snarling curse from Vegeta did not deter him from the egg; the quiet exclamations of the remaining Z-senshi also failed to draw his attention away. It was only the very rude and inconsiderate push from the side that jolted him out of his efforts at subverting the Suspicious' will and turned him to see the deadened eyes of the Fallen.

_Not on my watch,_ the eyes, with the sight of the malicious **M** close behind, told him. _You will not harm my counterpart while I am here. _

Startled, he automatically moved aside as the Fallen stepped forward to join the Suspicious One. The Fallen eyed the Trunks child for a second before he nodded nonchalantly to the curious midget Earthling—Krillin. Krillin's face changed for a brief moment, but the look could not be interpreted while the midget bent to pick the unconscious Saiyan up and carried him away.

A pink and purple light suddenly enveloped the nucleus and began pulsing, showing the ascension of Majin Buu's awareness into cognitive consciousness. He watched helplessly as Shin-dono tried to warn the Z-senshi again about the dangers of releasing Buu, but failed in his noble efforts as no one paid heed.

"Why are you freeing him?" Shin-dono finally asked tiredly, if still panicky. As the egg began to crack, the Suspicious One answered.

"Because it's common sense to assume that if we don't destroy Majin Buu right here and now, then other evil villains would seek him out with the intention of releasing him. But if Buu is dead and rotting, then there wouldn't be any need for that, only to spread the news through the universe that it's dead."

The Suspicious turned an acid gaze upon his master. "It's because of you, anyway, that Trunks is still unconscious."

Reminded of the Saiyan child, he cast about for him and the midget. Finding them, he hurried over, bent down, and explained in low tones what he wanted to do. Krillin blinked at him untrustingly, but allowed him to infuse Trunks with healing energy.

He finished just as the egg shattered, the room turned into a scene identical to the surroundings outside, and Trunks sat up. The lingering taste of a gasped Pappa rappapa turned his head to the source, but the bruised and unrecognizable Babidi had spent his last vestiges of energy on his room. He was dead.

Grim satisfaction on his features, he turned expectantly to Buu, newly arrived from the brain that he'd been in for so long. But instead of the skinny and evil Kid that his master had described, in its place Buu was an overweight, slant-eyed and cape-wearing bubblegum creature. It was peering curiously at each of the Z-senshi, its gloved hands waving gently.

The Z-senshi, he felt, was all aghast, nor could he blame them. But he knew, his gut told him, that Buu was still a threat and had to be destroyed.

Buu had other ideas. "I like you," he said to the Fallen. "Wanna play?"

The Suspicious One spoke up, casting a glance at Vegeta, who closed his mouth. "That's an idea. Why don't we all play?"

After a bit, in which he suspected telepathy was in play, the Z-senshi all agreed. Buu acquired such a large grin on his face that he almost—_almost_—didn't seem evil, and took to the air like most of Earth's Special Forces already were doing.

"Let's play the game where one person is in the middle and all the others shoot energy at the person in the middle. The person in the middle can't dodge any of the attacks, or block them, but instead endure them as much as he can until he's not able to do it anymore. Then he switches with someone else and we'll do the whole thing over again. Got it?"

Nods answered the Suspicious One, most with straight faces, but some with sly winks or predatory grins. The Fallen looked much the same as always, down to the egregious **M** on his forehead—but Babidi was dead. Shouldn't...

"Buu, why don't you be first?" The Suspicious One asked, motioning to the loose circle of air the Z-senshi encircled. "You haven't played this game before."

"Okay!" Buu chirped, floating energetically to the spot so outlined. "This okay?"

"Perfect," Goku said. "Now, remember, you can't dodge, block, or attack with your own energy, right? You have to take it for as long as you can!"

"On three," the Namekian called. Trunks, besides him, looked alert and eager, not like he'd been unconscious for the past Earthling hour, Earthling hour and a half. Pride fought with the confusion in him, winning the battle for a precious few seconds—

"One," the Namekian started. All around him, the Earthling fighters got into various positions, each with his own look of concentration on his face.

"Two." Most of the fighters uttered incomprehensible statements. The three-eyed human stood with his hands clasped together except for the index fingers, which were upright and laid against each other. The psychic clown had both hands facing Buu and did not seem outwardly to be able to control the violet power coiled in them.

The Namekian had particles of energy collecting around the two fingers he held to his forehead. Vegeta was patiently sketching a pattern in the air, one he did not know. Goku said "Ka...me...ha...me..." while blue energy formed in his hands held behind him. The Suspicious One held out his fingers above his head, fingers around which red sparks flitted. The Fallen had only two fingers held out together in front of him, like a salute, and said nothing. The son of Goku had imitated his father. Trunks fisted his hand and muttered, "Troposphere..." The little person had formed a ki disk. The scarred face man had one first back. And he and his master were standing helpless.

"THREE!"

"TRI ATTACK!"

"Psychic Storm!"

"_Special Beam Cannon!!"_

"GALLIC GUN, FIRE!"

"HAAAAA!"

"Laurenaren—NA!"

_Shteeeeew!! _

"BLAST!"

"Destructo Disk!"

"Wolf Fang Fist!"

The triclops' attack proved itself to be a triangle-shaped beam of green energy. The psychic clown's Psychic Storm became a barrage of violently violet ki shards. The Special Beam Cannon was a thin yellow beam lancing directly from the Namekian's fingers to the bubblegum creature. Vegeta's attack was lost in the midst of the _shteeew-_ing black beam of his neighbor, the Fallen, but his jubilant shout told that it had hit.

Goku and Goten's attack were both a solid-seeming swirl of blue-and-silver light energy that hit Buu head on. The Suspicious One cast a crimson ring that struck Buu almost instantly with sparking tentacles, and painfully, too, judging from Buu's screams. Trunks' attack seemed to have failed, for nothing came shooting from his fist. The midget had thrown the ki disk, while the illusion of a wolf had briefly come from the scar-faced man.

When the smoke cleared, he couldn't believe it. Buu was still standing! It looked worse for the wear, true, but it wasn't dead.

"Good job," Goku said admiringly. "But that was the easy stuff. Wanna up it a notch?"

Buu, looking up from the various holes in its pink body, nodded eagerly. With a breath and a _pop!_ The holes were gone, and Buu was ready for more.

"Come, master," he said to Shin-dono. "Let us help them. We may be able to provide the edge."

His master nodded his assent. They flew up the join the floating Z-senshi enclosing the evilest monster since the creation of this universe. They separated the triclops from Krillin and Krillin from Goku, who, with a sudden yell that almost defeated him, had suddenly increased his ki by enormous levels and somehow dyed his hair blonde.

The Suspicious One, Vegeta, Goten, and Trunks copied his movements; Trunks and Goten leveled their energy almost as much as Goku, Vegeta matched Goku, while the Suspicious surpassed them all entirely. Yet the Fallen was still the strongest of them all.

"Ready?" asked the newly transformed Goku (in what he heard muttered as "Super Saiyan Two"). Buu nodded; the Namekian started the count once more.

"On three." The fighters, he, and his master readied themselves. A thought reached his brain from an outside source, and certainly met Shin-dono. Listening carefully, he braced himself—

"THREE!"

—while the world around him exploded.

"TRI ATTACK!" _The triclops again. _

"Aieeeeeeee!" _The psychic clown._

"Hatei monsortis!" _His own master. That voice, familiarly strong, gave him reason to jolt out of his shock and start his own attack. _

"Special Beam Cannon!" _The Namekian_.

"Grinasheare Bomb/Kamehamehaaaaa!" _The Suspicious in conjunction with Goku._

"Troposphere Blast!" _The son of Goku. _

"SOLAR FLARE!" _The son of Vegeta. _

**Wyre's Breath Spirit Glaive.** _The Fallen, speaking not with words. _

"Gallic Gun, FIRE!" _Vegeta. _

"Yaa!" _The scar-face, hurling his own Destructo Disk._

"Take _THAT!_" _The midget, firing a volley of ki attacks. _

By the time the midget yelled the last, he was able to toss out the result of his own movement:

"_Drisde Voldern_."

The Drisde Voldern was an attack which took a paralyzed opponent and drained it of any special techniques or bombs or other surprises. The mind would still know the attack, but if the paralyzed opponent got free somehow, wished to use a special technique, the body would have no idea what the technique was—thus making it fail horribly.

Since his master's "Hatei monsortis" had paralyzed Buu—the creature had been as stiff as a board—then his Drisde should have worked.

"Oww..." he heard from the center of the ring. Buu was indeed weaker—but it was strange—it was no longer overweight. He had shortened, lost the cape, and looked younger—

"That hurt! I don't want to play this stupid game anymore!" Kid Buu yelled. The Z-senshi traded looks with each other, then back at the changed monster. The Suspicious One turned to the Fallen, but the latter was already floating forward. Kid Buu eyed him suspiciously as he approached, but brightened up when the Fallen took on a fighting stance.

"Yeah, I'll play that!" The creature grinned evilly as he hung his arms down and began swaying back and forth. "I'll pummel you!"

Meanwhile, the rest of the Z-senshi was drifting away, allowing the two fighters the room they needed. The Suspicious One was saying to the others, "Menrui will be all right. Buu is weaker now, so he should be able to take care of him." He flicked a too-long spike out of his way—and it was strange, that the Suspicious One should not have changed in appearance and yet be so much stronger than the other Ascended, who were almost unrecognizable.

"And if he can't?" he heard himself inquiring. The Suspicious glanced at him and smirked. "Then we help him," he said simply. "But for now, we should leave them alone."

Abruptly, his strength changed back to the one before he'd Ascended. Goku and Goten followed, the child with a glance at the Fallen bashing Kid Buu's head against a sandy-faced cliff. Trunks breathed a sigh of relief, while Vegeta only looked arrogantly upon Menrui and Kid Buu.

All of a sudden, a whorl of power disrupted the relative peace. A red and purple disc appeared in the sky directly above them—he noticed it didn't distract either the Fallen or Buu—and a struggling form appeared in its depths. He gasped aloud as he recognized the form, and the sudden, tight, grasp on his arm told him its Mohawked owner knew it too.

But it was the Suspicious One who was yelling at the form, "Go! I'll get rid of him!"

As if his word had broken the spell, the form vanished, the disc began disappearing, and a gold trail started after the streamlined form rocketing down to the ground far below.

"Wait up, Kakkhan!" Krillin called. He moved as if to fly after him, but one of the Saiyans—he didn't take the time to find out which—restrained him. What he was more interested in finding out was what the Suspicious was doing with Dabura. He decided that a little spell for better hearing wouldn't hurt.

"How dare you try to summon an unwilling akuma from the Demon Dimension to here! Do you know what you could have done to the world fabric of this planet? And for an akuma who wouldn't have obeyed you anyway!"

The Suspicious made sounds that sounded like he had seized Dabura by the collar. "I say that It would not have obeyed you, _Demon King_,"—all the scorn that could fit into the Saiyan's voice was stuffed into those two words—"because _I_ am the Legendary Lord, and therefore I outrank you."

The truth of the words crashed into him. No wonder the Suspicious was so disdainful, so knowing of things that should be beyond his ken. The Legendary Lord was a dimension-wanderer, had seen many cultures and strange objects, had wrought his own effect upon the dimension he visited. It was inevitable he would know more things about the works of this world than either he or his master did.

And where the Legendary Lord went, his counterpart the Prince of Puzzles was sure to be. He turned his head to the warrior playing with Kid Buu like a cat with a mouse, and felt sick. The Prince of Puzzles had never been Fallen at all—he'd only brought out his dark core to help penetrate Babidi's hold all the more quickly. The **M** on his forehead was not a symbol of Babidi's control over him—it was a symbol of the Prince of Puzzles' ultimate deception of Babidi.

A short blast of energy announced Dabura's demise; a longer infusion of ki, and of a darker tinge, declared Buu's weakening past the point of no return. All the Majin needed was a big push.

All around him were the warriors needed for such a big push. He turned to his master, excitedly, but Shin-dono was already shaking his head. The Prince of Puzzles did not need the help, not with his dark core in operation.

But it seemed like his master was wrong when Buu suddenly lashed out, catching the Prince across the cheek, and kicked him in the stomach. The Prince retaliated in good time, nonetheless, and soon Buu teetered on the brink of death again.

**Wyre's Breath Spirit Glaive**, the Prince suddenly said, in that wordless way of his that made it seem as if he were possessed by an Eternal Deity. He whipped his head around to see that a long bladed staff had appeared in the Prince's hands. With a swing, an area-sweeping wave of obsidian ki sped towards Kid Buu—

—only for the wave to be a feint for the real attack: the deadly slice of the Spirit Glaive. Kid Buu managed only a planet-shattering shriek as the Glaive cut into his arm, then up and over through the tiny holds on his arm to his scrawny neck. The Glaive did not hesitate, but dug into the neck, passing through it, and back down the other arm, again marring the tiny holes in the limb.

Kid Buu's body slumped in air, but before it could fall, the Prince of Puzzles treated it to another Wyre's Breath, this one real.

When the obsidian ki cleared, no trace of Kid Buu's body remained. Nonchalantly, the Prince of Puzzles—such a fitting title, now that he thought about it—turned to the silent Z-senshi. However, he did not float over to them, but instead pointed with both his deadened gaze and his Glaive towards what remained of Buu's nucleus. A word, and that, too, was gone.

It hit him then, what they'd hoped for for so long—Majin Buu was dead! Babidi was dead! The legacy of Bibidi was totally destroyed!

Looking around him for someone to share this realization with, preferably his master, he found that the group of warriors had all started flying back to the ground, including both the Legendary Lord and the Prince of Puzzles. He joined the descent with a glad heart; nothing more could come out of this day.

"AAAAAAAAAH!"

His head snapped around as the Prince stumbled to his knees, Goku hurrying over to him even with the shocked look upon his countenance. The Saiyan tried to calm the shuddering form on the floor, but to no avail; the Prince just screamed more loudly.

"Ware," the Legendary Lord called shortly over the renewed screams of the Fallen. "Explosion about to take place."

:-:-:-:

A/n: Well, I've been busy, haven't I? Only two more months to get through before I graduate… (Is supremely shocked) Dang! You mean to tell me that I'm going to be a freshman in college and therefore have probably no time to spare on **Kakkhan III **come this fall? Ohhhh… (Faints)

Allati: There, there, SP. Don't worry, I'll be waiting patiently for you for when you _do_ have time to spare on **Kakkhan III**. I would rush to get Vigi Ange finished, tho. Aline would kill you if you spent an entire year ignoring her.

And yet she has totally NO respect for me for when she ignores ME for an entire year. (Grumpy) Hmpf. In any case, Allati, thank you for saying you'll wait. You're the best muse.

Allati: Aw. (Blushes) Thanks.

:-:-:-:

SNEAK PREVIEW OF: Exposés

Menrui watched in silence as his brother concentrated fiercely. He rose from the couch again a few moments later when it didn't seem as if the internal war would end any time soon. Retreating instead into the kitchen, he clanked around that room, creating hissing noises and others with his intrusion.

And still Kakkhan frowned.

:-:-:-:

Not long to go now before we finish this thing. Waaaaa!

Allati: (Consoling) There, there. 'Tis all right.

(Sniffs) Thanks to **lpgohanfanatic** and **Lov3the3vil** for reviewing! You're so nice! (Bows) I hoped you liked this chapter. It took me some revisions to get this into place. (Tired)

Sayonara!

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN; **Writing is what we do for you at **AASN. **Enjoy.

_Updated 03.19.07_


	22. Exposes

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but, except for the Human race, I do own everything else. Ha!

_Warnings: Exorbitant Chapter Length_

:-:-:-:

PO**KK:ISZF**—

_His head snapped around as the Fallen stumbled to his knees, Goku hurrying over to him even with the shocked look upon his countenance. The Saiyan tried to calm the Prince of Puzzles, but to no avail, as the Prince just screamed more loudly. _

"_Ware," the Legendary Lord called shortly over the renewed screams of the Fallen. "Explosion about to take place."_

:-:-:-:

Chapter Twenty-two: Exposés

:-:-:-:

_Explosion_ was perhaps too mild a word to describe the enormous combustion of energy happening in the second instantly after the Legend uttered his warning. A _nuclear bomb_ might have expressed it better, to use so Earthling a term.

Quickly, he erected shields around himself and the Fallen nearby, who was still rolling about and twitching. His master, perfectly capable of protecting himself, had done the same, only this time including Goku and the nearby flame-head. The nuclear bomb blasted into his shield and by it; to him it was only a mighty bellow and a brief, fierce, _strong_ battering at his shield.

More noises resounded around him as the spaceship—ill-designed for such activity within its bowels—collapsed around them, flinging its debris and ruins upon them as might an old lady fending off an imagined harasser.

When, ears ringing, he finally dared to look up again, it was to see, first, that the Puzzling Prince no longer twitched and shrieked in agony. Now, he noticed, the child breathed heavily, as if he'd been participating in a particularly taxing activity and overexerted himself. Raising his eyes to his surroundings—fearfully—he could almost see why.

The place was in ruins! Only the blue undistinguished floor below him reminded him of the room where they had finally encountered Babidi; it no longer even reflected the scenery outside. The unguarded Z-senshi were hauling themselves to their feet, while the guarded hurried to aid them. Reminded of his own charge, he turned—

And found the child blinking, rubbing his eyes. "Huh?" the demi-Saiyan eloquently said, taking in the destroyed walls and the wrecked crystal ball lying perilously near him. "Did I do this?"

He remained frozen as the child maneuvered to his feet. "What a mess," the Earthling muttered, dusting himself off. "What exactly happened?"

Eyes locked onto him, assessed him from behind a thin wire frame ensnaring two equally as thin pieces of glass. He found himself remarking on the vitality in that pair and contrasting it with the earlier expression of the Prince. He hastily glanced up to the child's forehead, whence the **M** had leered so smugly—

It was gone.

He felt a smile, incredulous and disappointed at the same time, overtake his face and his feet falter beneath him so that he had to scold himself to be steadier.

"Hey, Ru," someone called. The child looked over his shoulder from peering concernedly at him and replied, "What?"

"I suppose it's futile to tell you this, but nice job," the caller responded.

"Did I do this?" the Earthling asked again, gesturing to the chaos and devastation evident around him.

"Not exactly," his interlocutor rejoined. A few short steps of his own revealed the wry face of the Legendary Lord, the Saiyan glitter returned to his countenance.

"Ru" sighed. "See, that's the bad thing about letting your dark core out. You don't remember a _thing_ afterwards."

He could only stare as the child and his twin continued to converse ("I believe that's why it's called a _blackout_, brother mine" the Legend retorted). Seeking out the presence of his master, he saw that Shin-dono also shared his amazement.

The Prince of Puzzles didn't remember what he'd done? He had so much power—surely he could remember something! After all, Babidi was not so weak a wizard that he could be carelessly handled, yet, as one person, the Prince had entered his service and apparently maintained his own control through his dark core!

Perhaps his master and he had not been wise to neglect this isolated aquamarine planet in section II of the 104NT grid-cell for so long.

:-:-:-:

"Well, that was quick," Krillin commented as the Z-senshi flew back to North Boulevard. "Usually it takes longer than a day to defeat someone."

Vegeta snorted. "It was almost not worth the effort of flying out here," he brazenly stated. Nevertheless, his arm visibly tightened around the bundle of lavender-haired demi-Saiyan he carried (who had inexplicably fallen asleep the instant Buu was defeated).

Goku sighed. "I have to agree with Vegeta," he pouted, hanging on to his son's legs. Goten, perched on his father's shoulders, grinned brightly as he clutched at his father's spikes and enjoyed the gentle breeze riffling his own hair.

As the conversation continued, Kakkhan and Menrui conferred.

"Are you all right, Ru?" Kakkhan had asked almost as soon as they were in the air. "You seem a little shaky."

"I'm fine." Menrui smiled. "I just don't like the huge blank in my memory that I've got."

Kakkhan smirked. "Well, you didn't do anything as spectacular as last time, so you don't need to worry," he teased. Menrui made a face at him as behind them Piccolo and Tien exchanged a significant look.

_Last time?_ Tien mouthed to his companion, who nodded his own curiosity. They listened as the Twins joked further upon the demi-Saiyan's descent into darkness but did not reveal anything as scintillating.

It was a light group of boys and men that flew home, not just because of destroying Buu, but also because the high-and-mighty Kaio pair had left them. They had returned to wherever they had come from in the first place, speculative looks upon their faces that nevertheless the Z-senshi dismissed.

"And good riddance," Kakkhan had retorted.

He had said no more on the subject of the Supreme Kaio and his servant, but some of the Z-senshi _had_ been a bit curious about the origin of Kakkhan's disdain of so high a figure. In no way were they saying it was misplaced, but the disdain had seemed prevalent from the very moment they had met the Kaio...

As usual, their off-planet friend packed a bag full of surprises for them. They were pretty much used to this now, but every so often something big would happen. Yamcha even jocularly predicted that in a year or so, there would come a surprise so big that it surpassed all the other secrets by a landslide, and he wouldn't be surprised if his prediction proved to be truth! Everyone had laughed and looked over at the smirking Kakkhan, who only set them off more.

It was a very cheerful group that landed in North Boulevard once more.

:-:-:-:

"Due to the disappearance of a large number of first round fighters, the first round of the World Martial Arts Tournament will be pushed to tomorrow. It will be held in the same place at the same starting time—"

The monk was interrupted by shouts behind him. Turning around, the monk sweatdropped as he viewed the countenances of the very fighters that had been missing for so long.

"Wait up!" they were calling, "We're here, don't push it to tomorrow!"

"Uh—"

"Please," the most frontward of the group panted. Well, perhaps panted was too strong of a word. The midget was hardly winded! "Don't push the first round to tomorrow."

"And don't disqualify them," added a dangerous-looking youth standing off to the side. The midget threw what seemed to be a grateful look at him, but the monk couldn't be sure.

"I'm sorry, but we've already made the arrangements. You and the entirety of your group will need to return tomorrow—"

"What arrangements?" snorted the same youth from before. "As far as I saw of the arena before we came out here, everything was untouched."

The monk was not unhappy to watch an identical-looking boy with spectacles jab him in the side. "I assure you they have indeed been made. Now if you'll excuse me—"

The unhappy monk was interrupted yet again, but this time by the aging emcee. "Wait!"

The emcee hurried up to the monk and began whispering furiously in the latter's ear. The fighters looked at their conferral and began drifting back to the lounge; obviously they expected to be fighting today after all. Only the midget remained; not even the identical twins stayed to hear the final result.

Finally, it seemed that the emcee had convinced the monk of whatever argument he'd been presenting. While the emcee swung around to address the members of the audience, the priest turned to the midget. The midget grinned and rushed off to the lounge with the other fighters, crowing excitedly.

"Well folks, it appears that the missing fighters have returned. We apologize for the confusion and any inconvenience we may have caused you, and we thank you for your patience. But now let us return to where we left off. I believe it was the match between Majunior and Briefs Trunks? The board confirms it, so would Majunior and Briefs Trunks please come out?"

It was only Majunior who approached the emcee; the green man, towering ominously over the emcee, quietly explained that Trunks was asleep from the activity that had caused them to disappear. The emcee sympathized but wisely asked no more questions. After all, this group did have a penchant for having weird things happen to them.

"It has come to my attention that Briefs Trunks is currently incapacitated and is unavailable for today's match, so by default, Majunior advances to the second round!"

Majunior walked off of the platform, customarily unmindful of the reactions of the crowd. He knew he was lucky to get to the second round, but if that kid didn't wake up soon, he'd be too worried to fully appreciate this gift.

Yamcha stepped up next to deliver much the same message to the announce, only with Dabura involved. He also advanced and walked away whistling.

Krillin and Vegeta, however, were both very much present. Krillin was dreading this match so very much that his skin resembled the color of porcelain. Vegeta, on the other hand, was perfectly composed, even smirking sardonically upon occasion when he couldn't restrain himself.

The fight went predictably, with Vegeta winning easily. Goku encountered a great deal more trouble in the form of his own son Goten, especially when the latter almost went Super. He did eventually knock his child firmly into the ground, stunning for the win. Thus Son Goku passed the first round.

Sayo, up versus Tomorī, graciously allowed him to trifle with her for almost an entire minute. She finally put poor Tomorī out of his red-faced and frustrated misery with a smart blow to his neck where it greeted his collarbone. The lanky teenager fell over limply, but was not actually unconscious until his head soundly smacked the ground.

The next day found the second round eager to start: Tien, his third eye blinking nonchalantly, automatically moved to the third round because of Kibito's absence. Piccolo defeated Matalino with a swish of his cape and a flick of his fingers along the other fighter's cheek. So it seemed to the audience, for in reality Piccolo had poked a long nail into the human's stomach; the action had been hidden by the cloak in an inscrutably dramatic fashion so unlike the Namekian.

In any case, the next fight Yamcha versus Vegeta was quickly resolved by a vehement forfeit on the former bandit's part. Vegeta only scowled at his opponent, since the Saiyan was by now spoiling for an actual fight. He would get his chance the next day, as Goku dispatched Sayo with as much ease as he'd had Goten, a feat the Saiyan would not have been able to boast only six years ago.

Piccolo and Tien squared off in the third round. In his absence, Tien the triclops had not much opportunity to keep up his fighting skills, though he'd put in his share of hours on training for the last three months.

Piccolo, on the other hand, had been forced by necessity of keeping his dignity, to train regularly in order to keep up with not only the three Saiyans Vegeta, Goku, and Kakkhan, but also the three demi-Saiyans, Menrui, Trunks, and Goten. At her age, Chokiiro was not coordinated enough to present the Namekian with a challenge, untrained as she still was, so Piccolo did not worry about her.

Having just described the situation, the authoress will now let the readers draw the logical winner. On to Vegeta and Goku.

From the beginning, it was not immediately apparent who the stronger of the two was. Goku gradually surfaced to seize the title, but Vegeta had developed a taste for tactics from the lesson the anger management had taught him, so he was not as disadvantaged as once he might have been.

"Darn it Vegeta! Stop dancing around and let me hit you!" Goku exclaimed.

Vegeta chanced another lightning attack long enough to respond, "Why would I do that, Kakkarot? I still intend to beat you and show you who your Prince of Saiyans is!"

"I think you'd better focus on Kakkhan then," Goku retorted. "I'm almost certain he's stronger than I am."

"Almost certain?" Vegeta snorted. He spun back from a punch and ducked under the younger fighter's arm. "Of course he's stronger than you."

"Then why don't—gaha!—why don't you fight him instead?" Goku inquired, finally catching Vegeta on the chin.

"Because," Vegeta rejoined after he'd thrust Goku away from him again, "if I can't defeat you, then there's no way I can even hope to think about fighting him properly. You're practice, Kakkarot, and don't you forget it!"

In the moment of surprise after this enlightening speech, Vegeta seized his opportunity. With a grunt, he locked fists with Goku and swept his leg out, tripping the other fighter. He dove after him, causing Goku to roll out of the way. Vegeta kept close on his heels, driving Goku further and further ahead of him—

Until Goku hit open air without realization. "Ack!" he cried as he hit the ground. "Vegeta, you cheat!" He shook his fist at the other Saiyan, who only crossed his arms and smirked.

"Briefs Vegeta defeats Son Goku and will face Majunior in the finals of the World Martial Arts Tournament!"

:-:-:-:

"Congratulations, Vegeta," Menrui offered to the inordinately smug off-worlder after the Saiyan defeated Majunior in a mere, though spectacular, five-minute bout. Vegeta smirked in return, while Piccolo nearby shook out his cape.

The Senzu Bean the Namekian had just taken had erased any signs of the battle just occurred, but the grouchiness in his manner broadcast a need for sensitivity in speaking with him. Accordingly, Menrui did not mention the bout, but instead engaged in far more menial conversation.

It was some time before Vegeta actually received the belt that habitually went to the World Martial Arts Tournament, but once he did (with an internal look of disgust), it was finally time to go home and rest.

:-:-:-:

The slightly brazen, more than slightly domineering mask he'd kept up since the return from Majin Buu fell upon his ungraceful tumble onto his living room sofa.

"Get back where you belong, you stupid twat," he growled. "I won't—"

"Who are you talking to, Khan?" Menrui interrupted, dropping onto the couch beside him. The Saiyan told him curtly, returned to the internal battle he waged.

Menrui watched in silence as his brother concentrated fiercely. He rose from the couch again a few moments later when it didn't seem as if the internal war would end any time soon. Retreating instead into the kitchen, he clanked around that room, creating hissing noises and others with his intrusion.

And still Kakkhan frowned.

At last the Saiyan eased back into the comfort of his seat. "Here" directed his attention to a floating, still steaming cup of tea. He discovered the cup was not actually floating when he looked up at Menrui behind him. The expression on his face was serious.

"Thanks." He accepted the mug gratefully and sipped incautiously at its contents.

"Why do you dislike you inner core so much? It hasn't done anything to you."

Kakkhan turned, unsurprised, to the alter Paradox. "Oh yes it has. It's tried to overtake my natural state of darkness and it was the being which paralyzed me that day."

"Only because you were attempting to take it out," Menrui countered. "You're obviously afraid that you'll be just like me, a puppet of some higher force and having no memory upon regaining consciousness!"

By this last, the demi-human was shouting, his fists clenched, his teacup set aside. Kakkhan gazed at him steadily, black eyes visible only over the rim of his beaker. "You're obviously more unsettled than you let on," was his cool answer. "Your acting skills are commendable."

"We're not talking about my acting skills here! We're talking about the oppression of your core!"

"Because that's exactly what it's supposed to be, a core! It's not supposed to send feelers into your mind and then tell you that it loves you!" Kakkhan himself exploded. "It's not supposed to give you nightmares of being frozen and helpless while your mind is obliterated by light, leaving behind only a fragment of a mind, if indeed anything at all!

"Yes, I'm afraid of my core," Kakkhan continued, his eyes blazing, "but not because it'll turn me into a mindless zombie for some time. No, it's because if the core takes _me_, it's going to destroy my mind forever!"

He slammed his teacup on the low-slung table beside him, uncaring if it broke or not, and whirled away. Red tumbled into his vision, scrambled his thought processes. He hardly knew where he was going, what he was going to do—all he knew was that he needed to be somewhere other than here.

And so he **jumped**.

:-:-:-:

'_Quite an argument you've had there, milord,'_ Flint observed, his usually mischievous face solemn.

'_Did you say that your core loved you?'_ the Grim Reaper inquired, his eyes intense on Kakkhan's face. His answer obtained in a curt nod, he exchanged significant looks with Flint and Wen.

Still pacing, Kakkhan didn't notice.

'_Why?'_ he was muttering to himself. _'Why does he pick this moment to blow up now? It's—'_

'_Perhaps, Legendary Lord, because your brother is as insecure about his core as you are about yours,'_ Yoki intoned. _'He _did _say something about being a puppet like him in the hands of some unknown force.'_

Kakkhan retorted with something rude, angry echoes of his voice bouncing about the room.

'_No,'_ Wen averred. The proclamation, from this quarter, was so unexpected that Kakkhan mis-stepped and landed heavily on his heels.

'_No?'_ Kakkhan reiterated, the hiss the word came out in making it gain a sinister connotation.

But Wen did not say anything more, preferring to let Yoki take over. _'No, Legendary Lord,'_ the Death Bringer asserted decisively. _'We will knock you down if we have to in order to get this through your thick skull, but this core matter is too important to treat like a childish temper tantrum.' _

'_Who are you calling childish?'_ Kakkhan glared at him. _'Me or Menrui?' _

'_The _both_ of you,' _Yoki replied. _'Now listen carefully. Both of you are right, yet not. An inner core is distinctive to each of those who possess one. For your brother, the darkness temporarily takes control. It will not be the same for you; you are too different from him for that to happen. _

'What your inner core does do, however, I can't tell you because I don't know. You've got to give your core a chance to prove itself to you—it's a part of you. If you don't, you'll never fully grow into your potential.'

'_My potential as what?'_ Kakkhan snapped.

'_Your potential as an Immortal,'_ Flint declared, his voice as hard as his name. Behind him, his Morph, Flaunt, tossed Its head briefly.

'An Immor—what does my immortality have to do with this?' Kakkhan demanded, looking indignantly from Yoki to Flint to Wen to Yoki again.

'_Think about it, Legendary Lord. I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out for yourself,' _Yoki advised, shifting his scythe to a better position.

'_It's all that we may tell you, milord,' _Flint told him apologetically._ 'Even so, we don't know everything about your inner core. You do, but you'll have to get out of your own way in order to find that out.' _

'_That may be for some time yet,'_ announced the tired-looking Wen, who was rising from his seat. As was usual anytime he spoke, heads swung to him with surprise.

'_Two times this day? Well, I'm surprised,' _exclaimed Flint._ 'I think that Wen likes you, milord. Certainly he doesn't me!' _

'_Or me,'_ grinned Yoki, his smile a malicious baring of teeth.

'_I really do need to think about this, don't I?'_ Kakkhan asked quietly. Three Horsemen turned to him, watched him gaze blindly at the wall across from him. his hands had slipped almost automatically into his pockets, his shoulders slumped uncharacteristically. For all the wittiness and energy that the Legendary Lord possessed, he was in actuality still a young man. So easy it was to think otherwise, but the lost look he expressed now set them to rights.

'_Yes,'_ replied Flint gently. _'Go and do that. And when you return, you will find yourself instead at your Earthling residence. Your brother will be there. You will tell him not only what you discovered on your journey, but also what we have told you so far.'_

'_This really is for the best, Legendary Lord,'_ Yoki told him firmly. Behind him, Wen looked over his shoulder and blinked his agreement.

Kakkhan trained that vulnerable gaze onto them, then turned away. Finding the exit, he approached it slowly, cautiously, as if he wasn't sure it was actually there. The footsteps the Horsemen heard were very much the same in pace. Finally, the footsteps faded away, and they knew the Legendary Lord had left the Tower.

:-:-:-:

A/n: Eeks...this chapter ran away with me... (Whines) Why does it have to do that? (Pouts)

:-:-:-:

SNEAK PREVIEW OF: Ultimate Confrontation

The situation became its worst when after a particularly violent fallout, Menrui began ignoring Kakkhan. The Saiyan retaliated by taking up the same course of action, but with an added touch of rudeness. Kakkhan, for instance, would slam the door in Menrui's face if they were going out, or shove his brother's things off of the sofa, and so on. It came to a head when Kakkhan deliberately smashed one of Menrui's favorite vases.

:-:-:-:

Thanks to **lpgohanfanatic** and **Lov3the3vil **for reviewing! You guys are the best reviewers of **Kakkhan II** I've ever had! (Glomps) LOL. Alas, I am sadness personified to announce that we are coming up on the end of this fic in a few chapters. It's been so long! (Sniffs and wipes away a tear) I've never regretted a single moment of it all.

But I'm getting sentimental before my time. It's time to go on another three or four month break before the next chapter of **Kakkhan II** comes out. (Snickers) Just be glad I didn't leave you on a horrendous cliffhanger. I _am_ capable of doing that, you know. (Snickers) Be warned.

Sayonara!

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN; **Writing is what we do for you at **AASN. **Enjoy.

_Updated 04.08.07_


	23. Ultimate Confrontation

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball/Z/GT, but, except for the Human race, I do own everything else. Ha!

_Warnings: Implied Character Death_

:-:-:-:

PO**K:ISZF**—

_Kakkhan trained that vulnerable gaze onto them, then turned away. Finding the exit, he approached it slowly, cautiously, as if he wasn't sure it was actually there. The footsteps the Horsemen heard were very much the same in pace. Finally, the footsteps faded away, and they knew the Legendary Lord had left the Tower._

:-:-:-:

Chapter Twenty-three: Ultimate Confrontation

:-:-:-:

**_Translated Laniin_**

:-:-:-:

Though Kakkhan's ki had disappeared from Earth for a while, it had returned, so everything was all right now for the Z-senshi. It had vanished before, the Saiyan's ki, but not after it had explosively risen in power, joining Menrui's already skyrocketing one. The worry vanished as Kakkhan reappeared on their radar, and they could relax.

The Paradoxes could not do the same. Kakkhan had found Menrui in the G-dome, half-heartedly punching at dummy bags he'd created out of the mats that normally covered the floor. He stood silently for a moment or two, merely observing the person who had become his brother.

"Aah!" Menrui abruptly yelled. He struck the dummy several times before it finally gave way, causing him to unexpectedly break down sobbing.

"I hate this!" he cried, curling up into a ball and rocking back and forth. "Losing Kakkhan, not being able to talk to him, and—and being so damned helpless! I hate it!"

"You're not the only one," Kakkhan murmured quietly. Menrui's head nonetheless snapped up and he scrambled to rise from the floor.

Kakkhan came to his side in a flash. "Here," he said, extending a hand to his brother. "I have some things to tell you."

:-:-:-:

'_Yoki, what have you told the Legendary Lord about his inner core?'_ the dulcet voice of the Lady rolled out of the alcove to ask. The Grim Reaper, respectful only of Her authority, bowed deeply in spite of the pointlessness of it.

'_What You told us to tell him, Lady,'_ he said, his head still lowered._ 'We also sent him on the Northwest Librarian's path, though knowing the Legendary Lord, he should not have needed to go far.'_

'_Your knowledge is accurate, Yoki,'_ the Lady's disembodied voice confirmed. _'However, do not presume to think you know all of the Legendary Lord. His future may surprise you.' _

'_It always will, Lady,'_ Yoki replied. Even with his face hidden from view, his grin was known. _'His very appearance in the Demon Dimension as a child of eight Earth years was a surprise.'_

The Lady chuckled. _'I have my entertainment with him,'_ She admitted. _'However, I believe his future will begin to become harder for him very soon. See to it that the Horsemen support him in any possible way they may.'_

'_Yes, Lady. I do have a question, however,'_ Yoki declared.

_'Yes, Yoki, you will be able to reach him. I told you his future will surprise you. Remember this and hold it tightly to you when the time for it arrives.'_

'_Yes, Lady.'_ The Death Bringer bowed a final time and swished out of the door, if you called a rectangular space of blackness a door. A blustery sigh arrived on the air expedited from the alcove.

_'Such a turbulent forecast for the future. Whom else may I employ to see thee through this, my Immortal?'_

:-:-:-:

Two weeks later, the Paradoxes were still squabbling uncharacteristically. Their subjects had diminished in importance, running the gamut from walking Theron to which pencil was whose. The Z-senshi was unconcerned about this, reasoning that six years of living together by themselves was finally seizing its toll.

Nonetheless, even the Blue Star Gang had noticed. This group was by far more vocal than the Z-senshi. Suggestions for the cure of this sudden sibling rivalry were put forth, eventually culminating in the proposal of separate timeouts and supervised peace negotiations. Neither worked for sufficiently long periods, and the Gang was left scratching its collective heads as the Tairyoku Twins continued to bicker and fight.

The situation became its worst when after a particularly violent fallout, Menrui began ignoring Kakkhan. The Saiyan retaliated by taking up the same course of action, but with an added touch of rudeness. Kakkhan, for instance, would slam the door in Menrui's face if they were going out, or shove his brother's things off of the sofa, and so on. It came to a head when Kakkhan deliberately smashed one of Menrui's favorite vases.

"You— Look what you did!" Menrui shouted furiously over the ruins of the ornamental vase. Kakkhan looked up from his journal and roved his eyes over the mess he'd made.

"Hm," he started, raising his eyebrows as if the sight surprised him. "It must have fallen over. Strange I didn't hear it."

He turned his head back to the journal nonchalantly. Menrui's eyes glittered ominously behind his frames and his fists clenched.

"That's it," he snarled. Striding over to Kakkhan, he bent down and covered the journal with one hand. "You and me need to sort this thing out. Now."

Kakkhan did not glance up; instead, he wrote around Menrui's hand. "Did something make a noise?" he murmured. "This house has become so noisy lately."

The pale hand that now grasped his collar fairly trembled with rage. The owner jerked Kakkhan forward until they were only centimeters apart and finally eye to eye.

"Fight. Now." Menrui shook Kakkhan before the latter could respond, hard and long. By the time he ceased the action, Kakkhan no longer held his slightly aloof expression.

His gaze as predatory as Menrui's, the Saiyan retorted, "For once, I quite agree with you. I advise you to prepare for an hour in Bulma's Regen-Tank immediately after we fight."

"You first." Menrui shoved Kakkhan away and stepped back. The other Paradox was about to respond when he stopped suddenly. The fierce look upon his face transformed into an intense expression that was still infinitely more terrifying than the previous fierceness. Then Menrui felt it, felt what Kakkhan had been focused enough to sense—

"Let's go, Menrui," the warrior across from him ordered grimly. Knowing the same change was occurring in him, he nodded once, sharply. There was no time for suddenly trivial disputes, not with such a development.

Golden trails of energy wove gently into the air as the Paradoxes left the house on Marguerite's Hope. The pleasant afternoon that day cheerfully wished them well on whatever pursuit they thought so important. Blue Star City then returned to its own affairs, busily ignorant of the humongous destiny-changing events about to unfold.

:-:-:-:

It was a while before they noticed the two figures floating outside their fleet of ships. Instantly alarms went off within the individual ships; within seconds the entire fleet was armed and at the ready. Consternation did secretly reign within each; after all, the feeling was that the two kis had been there for some time. The question was, how was it that these two kis had sneaked up on them so easily? The fleet consisted entirely of top-notch warriors!

Nevertheless, they organized efficiently and quietly, standing on guard against the intruders in a record breaking time. Those weaklings weren't going to get the better of them.

Especially not with **that**.

Finally the bridges lengthened, and the fleet, encased within its force-fields, converged upon the little universe-speck of a planet called Earth.

_**Greetings, Earthling-born intruders,**_ their leader in his sub-ship began. _**I do not know how you—**_

_**Greetings, Headmaster Gilaamu,**_ the voices outside interrupted. Ripples of uncertainty washed through them—

And soon died away. The calm of confidence returned, followed by the conviction of their cause and the condemnation of their enemy they'd held earlier.

_**I see,**_ the Headmaster and Commander of the widely-known Laniin Defense Giendonese Army murmured. _**It's you. Very impressive, but I'm afraid you are too late. We have already—**_

_**We have perfect timing, Headmaster,**_ the two voices cut in, again in unison. The Laniins' confidence did not stir, not even though flickers of images wafted through them. _**Your plan has not proceeded as far as you expected.**_

_**On the contrary.**_ They took comfort from the smile in Gilaamu's voice, for none but the Commander knew what really was going on in OP Vari. _**It is going exactly as theorized. **_

_**No, it is not. We have proof—look. **_Air whistled, possibly as something was thrown; a thump accompanied it. Next, a roar of rage? shock? horror? shook them, and they knew that the intruders were correct.

They found that panic did not seep into them, no, or even a sense of defeat. No, what their hearts filled up with was nothing short of hatred. They smiled at this emotion, for it proved that **that** had begun.

_**So now that your plan has failed, Headmaster Gilaamu,**_ one of the voices outside of their fleet said conversationally.

_**What will you do now? How will you conquer the Earth and take all the survivors as fosterlings? **_The other voice asked. There was only a minute difference in the voices, enough to think that the two voices could be one. Yet two kis resided outside of the fleet...

_**By destroying the traitor Eiranos once and for all? **_the first voice (or was it the second?) inquired.

_**We are here in front of you. One of us is Eiranos. One of us is not.**_ Whichever voice it was this time continued the trend of the previous voice without missing a beat. Did Eiranos somehow clone himself?

_**Which of us is he who betrayed you for his home planet? Choose. **_The ultimatum demanded of them closed up the questions and hardened their resolve.

_**If you choose the right one, Eiranos will die. You will win.**_ The decision would be easy. So would the fighting.

_**But if you choose the wrong person, it is **_**you**_**, all of you, who will die. **_Ha! With **that** already permeating their souls, inuring them to any wiles the intruders would try, there was no chance in **Furas **they would die. And all of them? Against one intruder? They laughed at the impossibility.

_**Choose. **_They streamed into the open air behind their Headmaster at his hand signal. The fleet turned its face to the two intruders that so dared to defy them.

They would have blinked, if not for the hatred in their souls, at the sight before them, for it truly seemed as if Eiranos had cloned himself. The two warriors, though wearing different clothes, appeared precisely the same—facial features, cold Laniin-nurtured masks, the way they stood. They did not, at first glance, seem to know that the other was there, but if one looked deeper—

As one, they opened their mouths. _**Choose, Headmaster Gilaamu. The outcome will be the makings of your destiny. **_As they spoke, they imitated each other's accent perfectly, making it seem as if one multifarious voice spoke to them.

Suddenly, something that made no sense to them clarified itself. Neither of the clones had ranking earrings, nor any holes to mark where once they were pierced. Triumph swelled through them; their emotion and message were conveyed to the Commander, who began to laugh.

_**Neither of you is Eiranos! **_he declared, his own personal triumph revealed in his voice. They forgave him his break of Laniin emotional protocol in the face of looking to the two Eiranos clones for their reaction. Sadly, this form of entertainment eluded them; neither of the two clones had blinked.

_**Why do you make that decision? **_The clone on the left inquired.

_**It is not one of the choices we gave you,**_ the right clone picked up.

_**You **_**must**_** choose,**_ they challenged simultaneously. They fell silent again, floating in the air as if they existed only for the purpose of defying them.

_**Go back to your creator, the traitor Eiranos, and tell him the clones he somehow made of himself do not fool us,**_ the Headmaster commanded, gesturing grandly. _**Tell him he almost succeeded in his effort to run away, but he forgot to include his ranking earrings.**_ He dismissed them with a finger and turned away.

_**What makes you so certain that Eiranos did not forget his ranking earrings purposefully? **_The query, asked in that simultaneous voice, halted them in their tracks. _**He **_**is**_** after all a traitor to the Laniins.**_

Slowly, their Headmaster turned back. Through his mask, his face was full of thunderbolts.

_**Purposefully? **_he whispered, the tone of voice that presaged terrible punishments for its recipients. _**No fosterling, even a traitor, would dare to cast away his ranking earrings.**_

_**And yet that is what he has done. He has, once and for all, cut all ties with the Laniins.**_ Both clones held out a pile of gold and silver in one hand. _**See.**_ As one, they flicked a wrist and strewed their pretty collections into space. The gravity of the Earth-planet pulled on the earrings and summoned them to the planet's dirt-covered surface with a velocity that made them disappear in the blink of an eye.

_**So choose now, and decide the fate of two races. **_The annoyingly single-minded clones returned their gazes to the Headmaster, who was simply radiating with fury. They understood why; these _creatures_ had spurned the fosterling army with the casting aside of the ranking earrings. And they were casting aspersions even now with their insistence upon choosing one of the clones as Eiranos in a game of chance.

_**It does not matter which we choose,**_ the Commander said tightly. _**You both will die.**_

Mere milliseconds after Headmaster Gilaamu made his proclamation, beams of ghastly green light struck the clone on the left.

:-:-:-:

"Gugh!" he gasped. The green bolt had surpassed his defenses without warning, striking its way into his heart in a blink. The force of the bolt propelled him backwards, his hold on his ki weakening with his surprise. He could feel his heart pumping frantically, trying to keep on with his job despite the relatively enormous cleft separating one third of the heart from the other two. He saw rather than registered the disturbingly red liquid that seeped from his chest—which was rather disappointing; he'd rather expected it to be gushing forth from a hole like that.

He tried then to right himself, to stop the flopping feeling in his stomach (which he knew somehow was not from the sight of his heart but rather from falling). He reached for his ki—

It was gone. It simply wasn't there anymore; his ki center had disappeared. He saw instead traces of the ghostly green light that had struck him—

"Agggh!" He felt excruciating pain slam into his spine and the back of his neck. The pain was so great he was suddenly sure he was paralyzed. Panic bubbled into him; he tried to move something, anything—and more pain smashed into him. Undulations of sick blackness crossed his vision; he reached for them and fell into them with an emotion akin to relief.

As he fell, he rushed headlong to a giant burbling sphere of light. As he fell, he heard distant screams of rage and the familiar shouts of battle. He heard warbling the greasy voice of that Headmaster what-was-his-name, and barely made out the words:

_How successful our Emotion-Manipulator is...it has suppressed the awareness of those who could defy us, killed one traitor, and helps us deal with the other. Truly, the Wyrnths are geniuses._

Laughter, sickly and malevolent, filtered into his brain...

An Emotion-Manipulator? Was that not...? He did not complete the thought, for his brain was too tired, too fuzzy. All he knew right now, for certain, was that he was dying. The light he thundered to was the way to the Otherworld, he was sure. He did not know what he felt at this thought—bliss? No. Resignation? Not quite. As if he were forgetting something? ...Yes. What had he forgotten?

...No matter. He was nearing the light now. Soon he would see what the afterlife was like. Soon.

He fell into the light and closed his eyes.

:-:-:-:

A/n: Oh, my GOD. That was so _hard_ to write!!!!!!! Waaaa...

Allati: There, there, SP. I'm here now.

SP: OH THANK YOU KAMI! (Sobs) Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!! (Seizes muse) Waaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Allati: Yes, yes... (Pats SP on back)

:-:-:-:

SNEAK PREVIEW OF: The Beginning of One's Destiny

Sorry! No sneak preview for you all! 'Twould just ruin the chapter! (Quickly runs away)

:-:-:-:

Well, how do you like _that_ for a cliffie? (:B) Yes, yes, I'll get the next chapter up soon. _Then_ you can kill me. But _only_ then. 'Cuz no one knows my password!!! (Laughs maniacally) Right then, time to get working on "gasp!" _the last chapter!!! _OMG! (Pretends to swoon) You mean I'll have finally finished this story after _two years of working on it??! _Ohh... (Really swoons this time)

Incidentally, have you guessed which of the Paradoxes was shot? It's pretty easy... (Smiles secretly)

Thanks to the lone reviewer, **Lov3the3vil** for reviewing! (Glomps) I'm just sad that no one else was as infinitely kind as you were... (Sobs) You were all alone, **Lov3**, all alone I say!! (Sobs some more)

Garibishinoan,

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN;** Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 05.21.07  
_(Guess what? It's my BIRTHDAY tomorrow! Yay! (Jumps around anticipating being 18) w00tW00T!)


	24. The Beginning of One's Destiny

**Kakkhan: Immortal Saiyan Z-fighter**

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball/Z/GT, but, except for the Human race, I do own everything else. Ha!

_Warnings: Character Death, One Curse Word_

Official Last Chapter Dedication: To **lpgohanfanatic**, who has been with the story since the first chapter of **Kakkhan I** (under the name **DBZ Chick1**). Thank you for reviewing every chapter almost every single time, even if it was just a single line. (Glomps) (No, I'm _not_ letting you forget that one time you forgot to review. How could you?! (Sobs))

:-:-:-:

PO**K:ISZF**— 

_...No matter. He was nearing the light now. Soon he would see what the afterlife was like. Soon. _

_He fell into the light and closed his eyes. _

:-:-:-:

Chapter Twenty-four: The Beginning of One's Destiny

:-:-:-:

"You bastards just killed my brother." The statement was made coldly, a tone that reflected the way he felt inside. He felt totally numb, like nothing existed inside. But something _did_ exist, something _did_ boil within him: darkness.

_**Well? Have we chosen the right one? **_He drew his eyes from the broken body of his brother so many leagues below and fixed them upon the mocking figure of Gilaamu. Rage stained his vision and seized his soul; for the second time that month he reached for his darkness and found it willing to cooperate.

_**It seems we have,**_ Gilaamu concluded smugly, taking his silence for acquiescence. _**The traitor Eiranos is dead, friends, and only this pitiful weakling stands in our way of triumph! **_

He did not hear the roar of the Laniins and the fosterlings behind Gilaamu; he only heard the bellow of his darkness as he surrendered his body, his mind, and his soul to his darkness, his need for revenge.

Gilaamu turned back quickly to the fighter in front of him as rage emanated from him in oceanic waves. His eyes widened with shock as a venomous growl rolled from the Saiyan standing opposite him; he scrambled backwards as the snarl escalated into a bellow. The darkness of space flowed out of every pore visible on the Saiyan's body, covering him entirely in a globe of outer space without stars. Gilaamu glanced at the Saiyan's eyes and convulsively shrank from the expression.

This Saiyan was no longer anything resembling a conscious being, but an uncontrollable beast through and through. There was no saving this one, not that Gilaamu would have spared the effort.

His jaw tightened as the last of the darkness spewed forth to form a perfect all-encompassing globe. Time to die, he told the beast silently. Outwardly, he commanded, _**Kill him, my warriors! **_

A rush of bodies answered him, lunging forward to assault the sphere of outer space hovering in front of him. Another snarl met the charge, and the battle began.

:-:-:-:

'Menrui!_' he screamed within the flaring core of light encapsulating him._ 'DON'T!_' He leapt for the boundaries of the orb, but like all the other times he tried to escape his prison, he was brought down by stinging sunspots inside of the orb. _'Menrui!'_ he shouted again, still struggling to burst free to help his brother. _

_He watched angrily as the first wave of Laniin soldiers swarmed onto him; almost instantly the Menrui-darkness ruthlessly dispatched them, swinging around to meet the second wave, this one made of fosterlings. _

'GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU SCUM!'_ he bellowed at the fosterlings. He shrieked as he spotted Balannon amongst them—obviously he had been brainwashed by the Emotion-Manipulator as easily as any of the other Giendonese warriors. Instinctively he raised an arm— _

_'MENRUI!' he roared as a third wave of Laniin soldiers scrambled to help the second wave. A fourth wave replaced the second wave, and the fifth wave arrived to commence a three-prong attack with the third and fourth waves on the Menrui-darkness._

'MENRUI! STOP DRAWING ON THE DARKNESS SO MUCH! YOU'LL DRAIN YOURSELF! NO!' _he shouted as the Menrui-darkness spat all three forces away at once, only to meet with a sixth wave._

_The Menrui-darkness discharged energy once more, screamed as it attacked the forces, and charged once more. He didn't seem to know that his dark aura was flickering madly, and that what had once concealed his figure had become translucent. It was translucent enough, apparently, for a Laniin warrior to be lucky enough to spear him. _

'**MENRUI!'** _he howled. He made a last attempt to scramble out of the orb—_

_Only to be struck by the largest sunflare yet. This time the energy lunged into him with such force that he almost fell with it _and _the renewed pain from earlier. A hatefully familiar roar came to him from far behind and yet right next to him. _

EVEN IMMORTALS MUST BEWARE OF DISCHARGING TOO MUCH ENERGY AT ONCE! RIGHT, EIRANOS?!

_He screamed then. He was not sure whether he screamed out loud or only internally, but he didn't care. He needed to get all of this energy away from him before it burned him._

EIRANOS! I TOLD YOU ONCE! I'LL TELL YOU AGAIN! EIRANOS, **I LOVE YOU**!

_Now he knew he screamed aloud. The light whipped throughout him, singeing every nerve in his body, disproving his earlier theory of paralysis, until it reached his brain. There it flooded into the loops and lobes of the second-most important organ in his body and roiled. It roiled until it was comfortable, until all he knew was the light, and that it did indeed love him._

_...In the true sense of the phrase_, he felt detached now, afloat in a field of gentle white. All around him were dark shapes, above, below, in front of him, behind him, to his left, to his right, strewn in small incalculable amounts everywhere. His senses washed over them, told him that most of them meant no harm to him. Most of the shapes appreciated his awakening, for it was more energy for a slowly dying Earth.

Others, nevertheless, radiated varying degrees of malice. The most common level of malice was low and mixed with a subtle confusion. This belonged to the majority of the fighters standing impassively in his way. The next grade of malevolence was considerably higher than the majority's: these were of the higher ranks, the spotty few that were threatened by Kakkhan's continued popularity. Only one hated him for far more personal reasons.

The highest classification of bitterness revolved around the Headmaster of the Laniins himself, the illustrious Gilaamu. Politically, personally, and now publicly, Gilaamu Yuinsen had built his hatred of the born-Earthling warrior whom had forever undermined the respect due him in his position.

It was part of the ultimate irony that Kakkhan was the one who had put Gilaamu into the office of Headmaster. It had been a promising beginning, but it had quickly derailed after that point as Kakkhan's popularity competed with Gilaamu's victory over Riddloc the Iogoroth. Thus, Gilaamu's political hatred was spawned.

The assassin plot had stemmed from the political hatred; it ended in the birth of the personal hatred as Philaren, the best and the brightest of the fosterlings, had been returned to him only as a frail husk. Gilaamu's sense of danger peaked at this point and he began looking for the opportunity to strike the light's former Kakkhan self down. Such an opportunity had arrived in the Majin Buu uprising, as Kakkhan's feelings of disorientation and fear of Menrui's dark core had soared thunderously to the surface.

Now, Gilaamu's private hatred exposed itself. It was of little risk to do so, for the Laniins were so contained within the web of the Emotion-Manipulator, that unfavorable machine, that they could hardly understand the full consequences of such an exhibition. They only comprehended that their appearance here, on this reclusive self-sustaining plantball of a planet, had been organized for the good of all of Giendon.

Gilaamu began to speak; the words were only a horrendous explosion, a rumbling distortion of comfort in the otherwise serene plateau. The Kakkhan/light hybrid raised his-its-their hand-hoof-paw and calmly opened the fingers-hooves-claws. The plateau _blurped_ abruptly, scrunching together for a split-second—then it righted itself as suddenly, serene and gentle as ever before.

And energy bolted from his-its-their hand-hoof-paw.

Screams, a wordless sound, reached him-it-them. They raged past him and stained the plateau, which writhed agonizingly, serenely in its endless efforts to deny them. He-it-they lowered his-its-their hand-hoof-paw and saw the dissolution of the largest menace of them all: the Emotion-Manipulator.

The Emotion-Manipulator screeched as it expired, its dark shape warping, hatefully shooting spikes in a short radius. The screams were of the confused Laniins as their emotions whorled within them chaotically, proportionally to the death of the machine. Another scream joined the majority, high with hatred as once again he-it-they foiled his grand scheme.

The form of Headmaster Gilaamu rocketed toward them, safely ensconced within its sub-ship and protected from the contaminated air of this plantball. He-it-they turned his-its-their head calmly and stared at the Laniin. The sub-ship halted and Gilaamu's oily voice issued forth from the metal contraption that protected him so.

"I, Gilaamu, Headmaster of the Board of Races of Giendon, do renounce you formally on this day of **G178 OT 56** and take from you the name you chose upon your entrance into Giendon!" he spat in accented Universal, making his curse that much more potent.

"You are no longer **Eiranos Jandelen**, but shall now return to the given name Son Gohan, son of Son Goku and Son Chichi, born of this plantball you call Chikyuu-sei! Accept my renunciation and die, you Earthling piece of nothing!"

Again, the bolt shot into his awareness from out of nowhere—the Emotion-Manipulator's last attempt to obey its master's command. It was a blundering form of darkness that possessed no grace whatsoever, unlike the previous spikes it had emitted before.

He-it-they, mindful that other dark shapes, these radiating very high levels of ki, were behind him, did not dodge the bolt. Instead, the plateau blurped once more—he-it-they held the bolt in his-its-their hands-hooves-paws—and the blunder of an energy creation careened back to its master.

Waving his-its-their hands-hooves-paws in a languid pattern, he-it-they watched the plateau warp multiple times, saw hundreds of energies streak from him-it-them, felt thousands of dark confused shapes fall. He-it-they sent energies behind him-it-them in a circular wave to form a shield for those high-kis in order that they not feel too much the collapse of the Giendonese bodies upon them.

When he-it-they ceased shooting energies, when the plateau was still once more, only the movement of fire greeted him-it-them. The white outline of this fire fed happily on the dark ships that had once held the masses of the misguided Giendonese standing opposite him-it-them. A croak—jarring in its malevolence—turned his-its-their eyes from the fire to the only ki still floating.

Another energy, another blurp in the plain, and the ki died, joining its comrades on the ground far below. Following the trajectory of the being, he-it-they could see the shape the bodies of the Giendonese almost made: a circle. He-it-they decided he-it-they liked the circle as a shape, since it remind him-it-them so much of his-its-their own spherical core.

Reminded of this, he-it-they suddenly _became only Kakkhan, the light core withdrawing hastily. It lingered only long enough to growl_ I LOVE YOU... _and then it was gone. He was left to himself for the first time in a long time. _

_He hated it. The darkness of his mind reminded him much of the Menrui-darkness and thoughts of him led to—_

_He shook himself. _'No, don't think of that,' _he told himself, his voice echoing dully in his mind. Paying no heed to the raspy quality of those echoes, he turned and made the long trudge back to his consciousness. _

By the time he reopened his eyes again, he had almost landed on the ground. He felt his feet touch base and looked down to see they nearly touched the body of his twin brother Tairyoku Menrui. Something fragile within him shattered; he grew cold as he allowed his eyes to travel from the blood-covered face (blood which had dried already) down to his stomach, which held nothing but a monstrous spear.

Slowly bending down, Kakkhan grasped the spear and attempted to pull it out. He had to yank it several times, causing the body to twitch and jerk distressingly, but finally, the spear removed itself from the belly of his brother.

Kakkhan paid no attention to the terrible smell spawned by his efforts, only focusing on how still Menrui was, how silent. Menrui was never this still, this silent, not even when he was sleeping. He looked like he was sleeping now, even perhaps having a nightmare, for the expression on his face was far from peaceful. Perhaps some of the Menrui-darkness—

No, he told himself. No. A flash caught his eye; he bent down further to see what originated it. It was the immortality chain he'd given to Menrui so long ago. He stared at it, trying to think something; it emerged slowly from the thick layer of molasses encircling his soul.

_...EVEN IMMORTALS MUST BEWARE OF DISCHARGING TOO MUCH ENERGY AT ONCE..._

What then was the point of living? he inquired of the memory. What was the point of being immortal when there was a chance for them to die too?

He received no answer. In the absence of an answer, he reached out a hand to the pendant, flinching slightly when his fingers met skin. Menrui was so _cold_—wasn't there a blanket around or something he could cover him with? He looked around, but saw only the torn garments already covering other bodies. With a sigh, he apologized to Menrui for not being prepared.

His fingers found the chain of the pendant and tugged. The chain resisted the force, so he rotated it around to find the clasp. Kakkhan shivered again at how cold Menrui's skin was—it seemed to radiate off of him to wrap about Kakkhan's hands.

I know, he said to the coldness. I know I'm looting the dead. But I—I need something to remember my brother by. I need to know why an immortality chain couldn't protect him. I need to be reminded of my own failure.

The clasp seemed to hate him also, seemed to be holding itself together desperately. He continued to work at it and work at it, even while the high kis gathered behind him and emanated waves of hesitancy. Finally the clasp came apart and he held the pendant in his hands.

"What?" he croaked, hating them for their intrusion onto his privacy. "What do you want?" He tucked the pendant away, not trusting that the pendant would not kill _him_ if he put it on.

"T-that alien. At the end." One of the voices behind him, high, male, hopeful, cleared its throat. "When he renounced you. He said your given name...are you really Gohan? Our son? Have you really been Gohan and with us for all these years and didn't tell us?"

"No." Kakkhan slowly straightened his legs. "I had almost forgotten my given name. I was not Gohan then, but instead the name which is now taken from me. I ceased to be Gohan when they renamed me and made me fully Saiyan."

"But why didn't you tell us?" the voice persisted.

He whirled upon the male then. "Because if I had, I would never have been free ever again!" he snarled in Goku's face. "I had never once been free in my life up until then, not even when I was two! I paid for my independence—the price was my family! I lost my mentors and my friends on Giendon when I defected! Don't you get it? I'm nothing now—not Gohan, not **Eiranos**, nothing!

"Gilaamu may have given me back my given name, but it's only superficial now! It's so superficial it makes me sick! In fact, _you_ make me sick! Every one of you makes me sick! I hate you! I hate you all! I cast away my given name here and now in front of all of you! I told you that Son Gohan, spawn of Son Goku and Son Chichi of Chikyuu-sei ceased to exist with my kidnapping—now he doesn't exist even by name!

"And while I'm at it," he shouted at the bewildered expressions of the Z-senshi, "I renounce my right to residence in my home dimension! I refuse to live here with all of you with all those sick expressions on your faces as if the whole sick world has ended! It hasn't! Life is going on like it always does—and so will you, _without me_!"

He gyrated explosively on his heel, bent quickly to scoop up the body of his dead brother—dead, dead, dead, dead as a doorknob, dead as dust, dead as dead, dead, dead, dead—and blasted away into the skies. Before any of the pathetic humans below him could move to chase him, he **jumped** to the one destination in his mind, where they'd never find him—the Daemon Dimension.

:-:-:-:

'_So it begins, Legendary Lord,' _the euphonic female voice of the Lady sighed. _'I have tried to find as many as I could to help you, but it seems it will still take a while for you to return. That is as it must be. I know...I know it is hard, it is cruel of me to say this, but you will become better. You said it yourself. Life goes on.' _

Another sigh. _'My last choice seems so appropriate now. The life given to her is filled with as much pain as you feel now.' _

A bitter laugh. _'I do not like being cruel, yet my brother Destiny forces me to do so. If it were not for His ironclad rulings, I would dare to defy Him so much more often.' _

The voice said no more for a short moment. _'I am filled with sorrow, my Immortal. You must needs be angry at me. First Lottonomori, then your brother...two essential pieces of your soul I have taken from you to make you fulfill your potential and meet your destiny. It makes me hark to that ancient debate held at the Forum of whether potential should be fulfilled over emotional security...' _

At this sentence, Yoki the Grim Reaper turned away from the portal. He had been about to go through it to ask of the Lady what precisely She was thinking with regards to the Legendary Lord. He had aborted his action upon overhearing the Lady mutter to Herself (no doubt an indirect explanation to his query, if he knew the Lady at all). Stalking away quickly, he joined his fellow Horsemen not far away from the abandoned portal.

'_Destiny's the one to blame,'_ he told them curtly. Flint groaned angrily; Wen merely nodded his head; Penny huffed and thrust her hands on her hips.

_'I should have known He would do something like this,'_ the Pestilence Horsewoman snapped. _'It's only too bad that the Demon Gods declared Him the ultimate authority over the lives of Demon Dimension residents and/or "permanent guests",'_ she continued, shaping her black-and-purple fingernails into quotation marks. Such an Earthling gesture was not uncommon for her since she met the Legendary Lord and the now-dead Prince of Puzzles. _'Otherwise I'd **plague** him for making the Legend twice soul-shattered.'_ She cackled maniacally at her joke. Flint rolled his eyes and began walking away. Wen called his Morph over to him; Yoki stared off into space with steely eyes. Penelope shook out her hair smugly before slipping a hand somehow into the pockets of her leather pants (also known commonly as her second skin). 

When Flint stepped outside of the Basilica Vitae, he was immediately accosted by InuYasha. _'What's happened?' _the akuma spat. _'I'm getting some (censored) sensations that—'_

_'Calm down, Inu.'_ Famine sighed. It would be a long day for him, the first of many. The Legendary Lord was due to arrive any moment; no doubt he'd go straight to the Tower. Meanwhile, everyone else was left to recover from the shock from the death of the Prince of Puzzles, and the select few who knew what little they knew of the real situation—they were naturally tasked with explaining and calming everyone down.

It would start with this daemon, this companion of the former Guardian of the Legend. He would task this akuma with the same duty he had now. The entire Dimension would soon know the truth—and the entire Dimension would look out for one of its own.

The Legendary Lord had renounced his right to live in his home dimension—where he would live now was uncertain, but very likely it would be here. If so, if the Legend would allow them, they would help. They would help even if he didn't want them to help. That was the way they were, the way they would always be.

He began to tell InuYasha what he knew.

:-:-:-:

**FINITE **

KAKKHAN: IMMORTAL SAIYAN Z-FIGHTER

:-:-:-:

A/n: After two years, **Kakkhan II** is finally finished. Mein Gott. So much effort, so much suffering, so much inspiration, and here it is. Complete. Is there any reason for me to be crying right now? (Breaks down sobbing)

Allati: (Cries too)

Thank you to everyone, and I mean _everyone_, who reviewed:

**Lov3the3vil**,** lpgohanfanatic**,** cooldude39**,** Keltic Cat**,** wizardmon92**,** Shinigami**,** Hiaburi**,** Exiled Rain **&** ShadowObscurity**,** Lucy Wood**,** dfd**,** THe new Kitty on the Block**,** Here kitty, kitty, kitty**,** saiyan child**,** supersas**,** supersaiyaman**,** Fairy of Speed**,** Salazarfalcon**,** Gohan's One**,** saiyaman**,** Sakurako Minase**,** kate**

Now just don't kill me.

Whew... I hope you all are looking forward to less of an action-charged and more of an emotionally-charged story in **Kakkhan:** **Saiyan Dimension Keeper**. I'm likely to be as slow in writing that one as I have been with **Z-fighter** (though hopefully not as slow as with **Giendonese** in updating). It's also likely to be much shorter than **Kakkhan I** and **II**. I don't think that the story lines I have in mind are really able to be stretched out to 24 chapters unless one wants five pages in Word for every chapter, which will NEVER happen. Believe me. So I'm going back on that made-long-ago promise to have all my stories have roughly around twenty-four chapters. I'm so sad...

Allati: I think it's time to end this, SP.

Yes, I do think you're right, dear muse. Farewell, everyone, and good luck with your own stories.

**TheShadowPanther** and Allati, from **AASN**

**AASN;** Writing is what we do for you at **AASN**. Enjoy.

_Updated 06.15.07_


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